Dreaming of Blood
by Henndrik
Summary: She rose the sword over her head and dug it down deep into his shoulder. He was kneeling down at her feet with his grey eyes staring back at her swirling like mercury. Blood poured from his shoulder but he didn't cry out. With the sword of Gryffindor embedded into his body he keeled over until his long blonde hair mixed with his blood turning it red. COMPLETE.
1. Chapter 1

She rose the sword over her head and dug it down deep into his shoulder. He was kneeling down at her feet with his grey eyes staring back at her swirling like mercury. Blood poured from his shoulder but he didn't cry out. With the sword of Gryffindor embedded into his body he keeled over until his long blonde hair mixed with his blood turning it red. She watched him die, she watched herself murder him and she heard herself scream.

She was screaming in her bed. Her friends in her dorm were there at her side. She was covered in sweat and shivering in her own bed.

Madame Coral burst through her dorm room door and pushed the other girls out of the way. "An alarm was sounded at your distress, what is it Rose?"

She tried to form the words but her mind was still racing, "J-just a dream, Miss."

The girls were told to settle back down into their beds, Madame Coral made her drink a potion to ease her back into a restful sleep. Drinking the small vial, she drifted so quickly to sleep that she didn't realize she was staring at the sunlight of the following morning within what felt like moments.

"Rose, you look terrible." Alexandria Nott announced hovering over her head. "How are you feeling?"

"I don't know." She replied with croaky voice. She got up and dressed under the worried watch of Alexandria and Daphne Zabini. "Ugh, I feel too out of it for make up." She sighed.

"Which is exactly why you need it," Alexandria grabbed the mascara wand out of Rose's hand, placing her own hand gently upon Rose's face and began correcting the earlier attempt at her eyelashes.

After both girls signed off on her look for the day, they headed up to the great hall for breakfast. Walking into the hall just as another swarm of students were coming out.

_Scorpius._

Alexandria and Daphne walked around him, studying him out of the corner of their eye. Rose knew that look. She'd received that look, she'd heard similar whispers to the one's Scorpius got. _Rose Weasley, the first of her not to be in Gryffindor! The Slytherin Weasley! _For Scorpius Malfoy to be in Ravenclaw instead of Slytherin it was the same kind of blasphemy especially to families like Zabini and Nott.

Rose had frozen completely still, his hair was completely clean of blood but she couldn't stop thinking about her dream last night, about thrusting the sword of Gryffindor into him and killing him. She shuddered under his gaze and his eyes widened when he realized she was staring at him. She ran into the great hall and sat down with her friends, eating her breakfast and heading to class.

That night she had the same nightmare. She watched him die again and was greeted by the same awakening scream and the same potion fed to her by Madame Coral, Head of Slytherin House.

"Miss Weasley," Headmistress Mcgonagall had called her into her office after a weeks' worth of disturbances, by this point Rose felt so frazzled and on edge she was too anxious to go to bed and every class she had with Scorpius was difficult. "Take a seat. I've been updated on the situation."

"Ah, here we go Scorpius sit please." Mcgonagall called toward the door and sure enough he walked through the door taking the seat next to her, glancing up to her.

_What was going on?_

"Mr Malfoy, Miss Weasley now that you're both here let's reprise the situation, shall we?" Headmistress began. "We are here because of the dreams you've been having, the both of you have been having." She added for dramatic effect.

They looked up at each other his eyes piercing her gaze.

"What do you dream about?" She whispered.

"You." His voice wavered, she never realized how deep his voice was. "You were standing."

"You're kneeling at my feet." She supplied, he nodded gulping. "Then I, with the sword." She felt her eyes well up but that's as far as she let it go. "Then you _die_." She breathed.

He nodded leaning back into his chair.

"Mr. Malfoy." Mcgonagall said. "I've been told that there was more to your dreams than hers."

"What?" She cried out. Scanning both of them. "What else could possibly happen?"

"You resurrect me."


	2. Chapter 2

"Rose, if you want to go to him go." Alexandria whispered at breakfast the next day.

"She shouldn't," Daphne shook.

"Oh why not? The Ravenclaw thing?" Alexandria snapped.

"No of course not. It's just well she kills him doesn't she? In her dream, what if it's a premonition or something." Daphne looked around cautiously as if any of their fellow Slytherin's cared to listen.

"Oh Daph, you have to drop Divination next year. Please, for my sake." Alexandria sighed.

"She's right Alex, I kill him. Even if it's not a premonition, it could be some dark spell or something. I don't know if I can risk it." Rose chipped in finally, fidgeting in her seat.

The meeting with the Headmistress yesterday had felt like a revelation; that is until they realized that not even the teachers knew what any of it meant. There were a few possibilities it was true but without further symptoms or information they couldn't figure out much else. All it had proved to Rose was that she wasn't alone in this horror and even though it didn't fix any of it she knew Scorpius was in this with her and it gave her the smallest novelty of comfort.

"Rose," Alexandria warned in a motherly tone. "You said yourself you feel drawn to him."

"You sure this isn't some twisted love potion or something?" Daphne laughed through her big brown eyes.

"I'm sure." Rose said quickly.

"God Daph, where'd you pull that from." Alexandria laughed, ignoring Rose's rigid composure. Missing her best friend stand up suddenly. It wasn't till Rose was half way across the room till she noticed, "What the hell is she doing?"

"Hi, I'm Rose Weasley." She offered her hand out to him, his grey eyes searched hers before answering.

"Scorpius." He replied, taking her hand in a quick shake.

She sat down at the Ravenclaw table next to him smiling awkwardly. "Just smile and act like we've just met. I'm sure you don't want gossip spreading any wilder than it probably already will." She spoke under her breath.

"Oh of course," He replied thinking. They sat like that for a moment, he drinking his pumpkin juice.

"If we seem too familiar they'll wonder why. If they see how terrified I feel they'll wonder why." She whispered into his general direction.

"Then why come at all?" He faked a laugh, as if she had just told him something funny. She noticed her friends confused faces from across the room.

"You know why, I'm sure of it." She spoke into the cup of juice that had appeared on the table in front of her.

He sighed and only confirmed her suspicions, they needed to be near each other to feel normal. "Is this apart of some spell, or are we just both so on edge?" He didn't attempt to hide his true feelings and she saw just how tired his face was, it was etched all over his face.

All she could do was shrug, giving him her best hopeful smile. She didn't think it worked but he looked as if he accepted the attempt anyway.

"See you in potions?" She smiled again.

He nodded slightly, his face expressing his concern and continued confusion.

"You didn't kill him!" Daphne beamed.

"No I did not." Rose smirked. "Didn't even feel like it."

"Scorpius Malfoy, seriously?" A voice called out to her from down the hall, she inwardly groaned.

"Excuse me Albus?" She snipped, twirling around to face him.

"You're dating Scorpius Fucking Malfoy?" Albus Potter strode over, hands on hips.

"Albus, I hardly think that his parents would have given him suck a rude middle name." She joked.

"Rose, please."

"What Albus." She folded her arms over her books and watched as her friends floated down the corridor and to their next class.

"Breakfast this morning? Then the rumours about you two dating. God Rose you must know," Albus explained. "Is it true?"

"Does it matter?" She sighed, "It's not true but it doesn't matter does it. What if I did want him Albus, what would you really do?" He said nothing, her face a foot away from his. "I have class." And with that she disappeared down the hall into her classroom leaving her cousin standing there awkwardly.

"I think it would be romantic!" Chirped his little sister Lily appearing suddenly from over his shoulder.

"Hear all that did you?" Albus sighed.

"Yerp, surprised everyone else didn't." She stated.

"Lil, his father and our father, her father, her mother!" Albus gestured around himself wildy.

"Have nothing to do with it!" Lily countered his rambling. "They're like star-crossed lovers! Tell me that isn't romantic and wonderful!"

"Lil!" Albus began, but his sister had already started skipping off. "You know how it ends with star-crossed lovers." He said to himself before heading off to his own class.

Scorpius sat down next to Rose during potions that afternoon and could almost audibly hear the rumours ripple into fruition.

"Great," he groaned.

"Calm down," Rose smirked beside him, eyes still fixated in front of her at the blackboard. "Apparently they think we're _dating_."

Dating? "How-"

"My cousin tried to scold me in the hallway before class started." She smiled again, her eyes startlingly blue. Nothing like they were in his dreams he decided. He relaxed a little.

"So I guess this morning was all for naught then," he whispered. Smiling as he opened up a fresh roll of parchment at.

"Of course not." She laughed, turning to him casually. "They think we like each other, if it weren't for this morning, they'd think we'd been _lovers_ in secret for years." She raised her eyebrows at 'lovers' for dramatic effect but it just caused his stomach to knot.

"Fuck." He breathed.

She laughed, loud enough for Potions Master Carvel to tell her off for it. "Calm down Scorpius, the rumours aren't quite there yet." She rested her hand on his for reassurance and with the slightest graze of a touch he shivered, she did too, he could see it on her skin. Perfect little goose bumps. She exhaled, removing her hand and withdrawing completely for the rest of the lesson.


	3. Chapter 3

Scorpius strode directly toward her as soon as she entered the great hall the next morning as if he had been waiting for her. He took her by the wrist and led her away from breakfast.

"I need to talk to you," he mumbled almost incoherently. She let herself be lead dumbly away and thrown into a nearby broom closet.

"Yeah, they aren't going to talk now." Rose rolled her eyes to herself.

"How do you wake up at the end of your dreams?" He rushed at her, grabbing her by the shoulders.

"Excuse me?" She barked.

"The dreams, do you wake naturally, do your friends wake you?" He was worrying her now.

"I'm always wake myself up. I wake up shaking, sweaty and screaming." She furrowed her brows letting herself be held.

He rubbed his eyes after a while with the heel of his palm. His shirt was rumpled like he'd slept in it. "What is it?" She whispered, searching for his eyes but he wouldn't look at her.

"It's all I can hear, all night and every night. It haunts me. Your screams. I hear you screaming." He was rambling, she was overcome with thought and fear and confusion.

"My screaming? You hear me scream?" She caught his gaze and he just slowly shook his head, _yes_. She was breathless and caught up in him, she could feel his warmth radiate from him and was sure his breath was cresting upon the loose curls atop her forehead.

"Oh. My. God." The door swung open and they both turned to find Daphne and Alexandria standing mouths agape. "Oh. My. God." Daphne repeated.

"You guys have a lot of explaining to do." Alexandria placed a hand upon her hitched hip studying them there in the broom closet.

Scorpius realizing the implication backed away from Rose and the wall he had pressed her into, flushing red against his ghost pale cheeks. He almost seemed to run away from her then and Rose couldn't help but feel disappointed. There was so much more to think about. He could her scream? He never made a sound in her dreams. Maybe she didn't have it so bad after all.

"Well?" said Alexandria expectantly. "What is the cause of dear Scorpius turning into a tomato, and you two getting cosy in make out point here."

"He wanted to talk to me, about the dreams."

Daphne clicked her tongue, "That is the worst excuse I have ever heard."

"He said he can hear my screaming." She shifted awkwardly.

"Your screaming?" They asked in unison, concern filling their brow.

"Where is Alex?" Rose asked Daphne later at dinner.

"Um, probably meeting some guy. I dunno." Daphne shrugged her off, returning back to her chatter with Hyacinth Flint.

Scorpius wasn't at dinner she noticed, but she tried to ignore it. She ate very little of her chicken and greens and found herself wondering around Hogwarts halls instead.

The gloom of the castle spoke to her tonight, it felt eerie to walk through it all, knowing the battle that had taken place here so many years ago. She had thought often that it felt improper to open it up again, that it should stand in memoriam to those who had died here. Her mother had reminded her on many occasion that Hogwarts just wasn't the type of place to stand still whilst there were students to teach. The very soul of Hogwarts wouldn't allow it.

_Thunder and lightning broke across a darkened sky and clouded all her thoughts. She felt as if the air was too electric to breathe in. _

_"Rose." He called out to her from across the clearing, tumbling forward he reached her and intertwined their fingers together. _

_"Rose." He beseeched her. _

_She shook her head in fear. Dark figures in hoods encircled them she realized. _

_"This is different." She mumbled._

_His eyes widened. "Rose. Are you dreaming or am I?"_

_Before she could answer lightning struck her and the sword of Gryffindor struck into her own shoulder. She heard the feint cry of her own making and felt a searing ache burning through her body._

_"Nooo!"_

She woke up gasping, clambering onto her uninjured shoulder. Ripping out of her bed in her night dress she raced through the Slytherin dungeons and out into the corridors unsure of the time but aware fully of the darkness. She ran through the empty corridors unsure of whom to seek, would it be appropriate to seek out Headmistress Mcgonagall at Merlin knows what hour?

That was when he slammed into her, bracing himself by gripping at her elbows. "Rose!" He breathed.

"You were there weren't you?" She cried out.

"Yes." He nodded.

She hugged him and he held onto her there in the darkness without word. Gripping onto him, he breathed her in fervently his hair falling over his eyes.

"Scorpius," She hissed into his ear. "We need to tell someone, the Headmistress maybe." He didn't let go and so she rested her chin at the crook of his shoulder.

He grunted awkwardly when they finally broke apart. He was in his pyjamas too, a plain tee shirt and cotton pants; stripped with Ravenclaw blue. She smirked at him then and he caught her.

"What?" He couldn't help but laugh.

"Scorpius Malfoy in his pyjamas, I'm surprised the look doesn't come complete with stuffed teddy bear." Her mood lightened as they walked the halls together.

"What did you expect me to sleep naked?"

They laughed together all the way down to the Headmistresses office. When they got there the place was lit, upon climbing the stair they found Headmistress Mcgonagall in her nightgown.

"Miss?" Rose cried out.

"Would you two care to explain?"


	4. Chapter 4

"I suggest withdrawing them early. There's only a week till Christmas break and they are the top two students of their year. I'm sure they can make it up. As it is, they are beginning to disrupt the other students."

Draco made to contradict the Headmistress but a concerned glance from her shut him up instantly.

"I also would like to see how some time apart would do them. After the dream walking incident we believe that there is a bond connecting them. Separating them might help identify what kind of magic may be meddling here." Headmistress Mcgonagall added.

"Could it be that the kids just… like each other." Astoria Malfoy laughed.

"Excuse me, what?!" Ron Weasley blurted. `

"Ronald!" Mrs. Weasley snipped, tapping her husband with the back of her left hand.

"Oi, what was that for?" He barked rubbing his 'injured' stomach, Draco chucking into his gloves at the other side of the room.

"It's a possibility," Astoria explained innocently.

Draco exposing a slight amount of affection, clasped her hand in his before explaining, "It's more the idea that his daughter would be interested in any son of mine that is all."

"In any case, I would like to use my researching facilities within the Ministry to study them, there are thousands of spells out there. If there is a chance any harm could come to our children we need to be doing anything we can. I will monitor Rose whilst she is home over break and ask that you two do the same." Hermoine Weasley interjected before old arguments flared up around her.

Draco nodded earnestly.

"Is there anything we should be keeping an eye out for?" Astoria obligingly followed Hermoine's suit, leaning forward as to direct the conversation back to the matter at hand.

"Obsession, I think. Any markers that they wouldn't usually show. Violence maybe? I'm not sure." Hermoine's concern mirrored Astoria's own, and for a moment she wondered how people ever went to war, when there were mothers at home to worry for those who waged them.

"Scorpius is a quiet, bright boy. If anything changed in him, I would notice it." Astoria said and both mother's nodded in agreement.

"I would like to check on them, when they return to school."

"You mean this won't be resolved by then?" Draco spat.

"No Mr. Malfoy, it may not be." Headmistress Mcgonagall said finally as if drawing the meeting to a close. "Ah here we are." She smiled.

Awkwardly with trunks in tow Rose Weasley and Scorpius Malfoy appeared as if from thin air. They looked like half the young people they were when they left at the start of the year and within a moment their parents finally took in the seriousness of what was happening to them. Their faces were haunted by their own dreams and both mothers secretly believed their child counterpart was far too thin.

"Mum? Dad?" Rose cut through the silence. Scorpius made his over to his parents, who rose up and took him into their arms. Rose mimicked his actions and fell into her mother's cradling arms. "_Mum!_" She winced.

The Weasley's went first into the Headmistresses fireplace. Rose looked back and saw the green flames of the Floo reflected in Scorpius's eyes, in his parent's eyes. She couldn't help but notice what a beautiful picture they made.

Scorpius woke up the next morning in his own bed, which hadn't really felt like his own bed since first year at Hogwarts. He fell out of the enormous bed, planting his feet on the floor. Snow had begun to fall over Malfoy Manor he noticed and sighed. He'd rather watch the snow fall over the school grounds right about now. His dream was vivid last night but it wasn't like the one before, dream walking with Rose. That was too real to consider dwelling upon.

He shook his head, putting it out of his mind and went to breakfast with his parents.

"Morning darling," his mother chirped from the end of the table. "Hungry?"

His father was absentmindedly reading the Daily Prophet, and he watched as his father grunted a little at what he read, before dropping the paper all together on the table beside his plate.

"Scorpius," he said as if clearing his throat. It was coming, Scorpius didn't know what but it was on the tip of his father's tongue, a reprimand maybe? A lecture? Maybe just an interrogation?

"Draco please, not now. Let him eat first before you berate him with questions." His mother scolded, saving him at the last moment.

They ate in silence, almost to the point where Scorpius wished he was being interviewed by his father instead.

He hated this room, it was far too grand. It felt far too dark and it's furniture far too rich, in colour and probably worth. The whole house felt this way actually, which considering he went to school in a castle was really saying something. He had never quite figured out how his father had managed to keep it after the war. Really, he wondered why his father would want it after the war. Scorpius guessed that it made sense when his grandparents were alive but they had been dead for years. Couldn't they live somewhere nicer, somewhere more low-key?

"Scorpius!"

"Yes, sorry what?" He answered his father, completely loosing train of thought.

"How was your sleep last night? Was the bed suitable? I always found the beds at home to be much nicer after a long term at Hogwarts." Draco rambling trying to be light. Scorpius wasn't fooled by his particular questions and slumped into the back of his chair.

"I had the nightmare again father. Just the nightmare, no more dream walking for me." Scorpius watched as his words stripped his mother of her smile and felt a little guilty for lacing his words with attitude.

"Okay," Draco braced himself. Gripping onto the table, "How do you feel about the Weasley girl at this very moment?"

"The same. I guess." Scorpius replied without hesitation.

"Same as what dear?" His mother questioned him, her warm browns eyes seeming bigger. "How do you usually feel about her?"

"Mum. It's not like that. I don't care what they say at school okay, it's not like that. I like her, she's nice." He tossed his knife and fork onto his empty plate.

"How do you feel about her in the dreams Scorpius?" His father returned his own grey stare, catching him off guard, Scorpius hadn't thought much of it before.

"I want to protect her." He said finally, "I feel like I need her."


	5. Chapter 5

Her mother gave her the strongest sleeping potion she could get her hands on but the nightmares still came through in waves. She saw the sword, she felt the resistance as she pushed the sword in, she saw Scorpius's eyes through the blur. _How could you? _They seemed to say.

"Hey darling, how are you?" Hermoine called from the edge of Rose's bed. "Here I brought you tea, dandelion."

Rose smiled. It felt strangely nice to be at home, the tint of morning sunlight melting through her room gave it a warmth she didn't usually associate it with. "You're going to ask me a whole bunch of questions about this aren't you?"

"She wouldn't be your mother if she didn't," her father smirked from the doorway. "How 'bout you wash your face and come down stairs. Your mother can harass you then."

Rose nodded, bounding out of her bed and down the hall. She reached the bathroom, finding her toiletries bag already there. Rolling her eyes absent-mindedly at her mother, smirking as she did. She washed her face with _Bewitching Witches Face-washing Potion, _and brushed her teeth with peppermint toothpaste.

"I look horrid," she thought to herself. Pulling and stretching at her cheeks and palming over the skin under her eyes. Smoothing her curls, she raked her fingers through her hair. Father's colour, mother's ridiculously unruly curls. She sighed. For a while when she was younger she had hated her hair, but after a while she had learned to love it. A lot of witches and muggles alike tried a lot of different things to get hair like hers, in colour and in volume.

"You're beautiful honey." Her father leaned from around the door frame. "Honestly."

"You have to say that Dad. I'm pretty sure it's like an unbreakable vow for parents or something." Rose joked. "You know, must always tell them how special, attractive and clever they are, or you explode!"

"Who told you about that?" He replied, receiving laughter from her. Together they made their way down stairs and into the open living space bellow.

Her father had consciously or not, built his home to mirror his own childhood home. It wasn't exactly like the Burrow, as it wasn't crowded or behind the times. It was actually quite modern looking. No, Ronald Weasley built his house with rooms on top of rooms, with nooks and corners and slanted rooves. It was his wife who kept it properly furnished with both muggle and wizarding contraptions, and kept it free from over cluttering.

Rose's father whom had hated sharing such a small house when he was younger found himself building such a house for his (much smaller) family when he had grown up; and truth be told was very proud of it.

"Hey you two. Breakfast?" Her mother called from the kitchen, which was also subsequently the dining room and the lounge room all at once.

They all sat and ate together, laughing about nothing and catching up on everything mediocre, steering effortlessly from the bigger hippogriff in the room. After breakfast was done, her father left via Floo for work and her mother, whom had taken a week off early from work, stayed home and tidied up the dishes.

"So," Rose began, picking up a tea towel to help dry up. "Are you going to begin or are you going to explode waiting for me to talk about it on my own?" She eyed her mother carefully, who grinned at the soapy water in front of her.

"I was thinking we could go out for a walk. Get some fresh air?"

"Dean again?"

"Of course. You've read the history books before, your father, and uncle and I spent a lot of time hiding in that forest. There's nowhere I feel more comfortable." Her mother explained ignoring the knowing looks from her daughter.

"I'm just surprised it isn't more of a touristy thing after being mentioned is all." Rose placed a stack of smaller plates in their spot in the drawers. "I mean, a lot of the thing you three did is recorded, I'm surprised there isn't a plaque for all of them. 'Here is the spot where Hermoine Weasley, brightest witch of her age, and Un- er Harry Potter, the boy who lived, got attacked by a snake.'"

"Rose," her mother warned feigning a dark look.

"I don't mean to sound like a cow honestly, I'm just saying, have your read them? A lot of people go nuts on that sort of thing. I'm surprised it's not worse." Rose beseeched hoping not to fall so quickly out of her mother's good graces.

"What do you mean worse?"

_Shit. _"I just, I mean. At school the first few years were really hard to deal with. Being the children of the most famous three Gryffindor's of our time and all. Jeez, James had it worst looking exactly like Uncle Harry, except-" Rose began.

"-for the eyes, James has his mother eyes." They finished in unison. They continued working together long after their chuckles faded, and after appropriately dressing for the cold air apparated together to the Forest of Dean.

"When you were dream walking, how did you realize you were both there?"

"Um, well I realized I had full control over myself I guess and we just realized it, I don't know it's hard to explain?" Rose fumbled, snow crunching underfoot.

"And what happened next?" Her mother, beanie clad, marched on as if she owned these woods.

"We met at the middle."

"And that's when you were struck with the sword?" Her mother asked, notably making notes in her head.

"Yes." Rose nodded, following alongside her.

"Could be symbolism?" Hermoine muttered, to herself this time.

"That makes no sense," Rose interrupted. "It's the first time I've died, it's usually the other way around, remember?"

"Right," She watched as her mother glanced at her, chewed her lip in thought and proceeded on through the forest. "Rose? Are you attracted to this boy?"

"Mum!" She squealed, "He's one of the cutest boys in school, plenty of people find him attractive thank you very much!" Rose could feel her cheeks bloom under the sheer cold of the breeze.

Hermoine laughed, tucking her hands underneath her arms. "I meant, do you feel drawn to him. In or out of the dream, do you feel like you need to be near him?"

"Oh," Rose felt her embarrassment wash over completely. "Um, maybe. The day after we found out that we were both dreaming the same dream I did want to be near him. It made me feel relieved I guess. Like it wasn't just me going crazy. After the dream walking thing, we found each other afterward because well, we were both headed to the Headmistress I guess."

"Right," was all her mother said as they plodded along, the cold seeping into their clothes making them tired quicker.

"Mum?"

"Yes?" Hermoine stopped.

"Look, I know you think Divination is bullshit," her mother scowled at 'bullshit' but Rose pushed on. "But still, do you think there is any chance that it could all could come true. That I really will end up killing Scorpius?"

Her mother looked at her, formulating what to say. She swept her daughter up into a hug and kissed the top of her head as if she were her little girl again. "I don't know honey. Honestly, I don't know!"


	6. Chapter 6

Christmas crept up quicker than she thought it would and the yard was coated so thickly with snow that even if she wanted she could not have gone outside.

"Hugo! Get down stairs they're due any minute!" Her mother called, fluffing the pillows and straightening the rumples over her husband's shirt.

"'Mione, ge' off. It's just Gin and Harry." Her father grumbled, wrestling his wife's hands off of him. "Rose, tell your mother something for me."

"Something," Rose giggled. The flames of the fireplace cracked open in a flurry of green flame and Lily Potter came rolling out covered in soot.

"Hello folks!" She sang, hurrying away to wash up.

James Potter and Albus Potter landed before the fireplace upon their hands and knees whilst their mother walked out calmly. Her Uncle Harry fell out clumsily, "You never did get the handle on Floo travel." Her mother laughed.

Albus looked nervously around the room, settling his eyes on Rose as the others laughed and greeted each other in merriment. They hadn't really talked since that incident in the corridor, she hadn't noticed as much until now. He shuffled up to her before gesturing to the dining half of the room, "Rose. My parents told me what happened. I'm, I'm really sorry about what I said, for not believing you and everything."

"You didn't believe me?"

"Nah, you know what I mean. I mean, for believing the rumours, I guess. It's just I know this must be hard but I'm sorry I wasn't there to talk it out with you." He rambled, twiddling with his fingers.

"Oh." She sighed, "I see. Well thank you for that. I guess."

Albus nodded and left to her thoughts.

"Hey dear, all okay? What was that with Albus?" Her mother rested a kind hand upon her back and rubbed it in gentle comfort.

"He apologized for an argument I forgot we had. Am I really getting so self-involved? Could that be a symptom you think?"

Her mother smiled, "I think that's just part of being a teenager. I'll make note of it if really bothers you though." Holding her from behind in a big hug.

Her mother made the turkey and Aunt Gin organised the sides, Lily tossed a salad together and Uncle Harry made a pie. Her father made a big to do about the cranberry sauce but after fiddling with a can opener for half an hour gave in to opening it with his wand.

"Rose, Hugo. Set the table please?" Her mother called. "It's nearly done."

"Rosie?" Her brother Hugo said suddenly, "How are you? I heard you had to leave school early."

"I'm guessing you know why." Rose straightened a knife alongside the right of a fork.

"I asked your Slytherin friends if they knew. They told me."

"Oh," She mouthed the 'O'.

"Can I ask you a question Rosie?" Hugo, only a few years younger than her, look so baby faced in that moment. She nodded in silent agreement. "Scorpius. Do you like him?"

"Um, I think we could be called friends sort of if that's what you mean."

Hugo nodded. "I know about the rumours you know. I don't exactly think they're true but I just wanted you to know that I wouldn't mind if they were true. You know?"

"Thank you?" She popped a quizzical eyebrow at him, to which he smirked a smirk similar to that of her fathers. They were finished with the table, hovering there awkwardly. "Look Hugo, I'm not lying. If that's what you think. Really."

"Rose. If you didn't care about Scorpius… would the idea of killing him, like in your dream, affect you the way it does?"

She tried to feign a laugh but it died on her tongue. When did Hugo get so wise?

Did she care about Scorpius more than she should? Sure she didn't want to kill him, she didn't want to be a murderer. That was reasonable. No person would want to do that to anyone. Yet, some part of her knew that whenever she looked into his eyes when they'd come face to face. Some part of her felt something in those eyes. It could just be the connection of the same terror they both faced, but then again. She felt the same before she knew he dreamed her nightmares too. Maybe it was just his eyes, people have interesting eyes.

She didn't talk much during dinner. She let it all go on around her. Her chest felt heavier in thought, and she felt tired so suddenly. She got up to refill her drink, ladling punch from the bowl on the bench in the kitchen. She took a sip, eyeing her family in all their happiness.

She slipped away to her room before anyone noticed. She took a spot on her bed, not attempting any of the homework she knew she'd have due when she returned. Should she even return? She didn't know how long it was before someone check up on her but when they did she made sure to seem asleep in her bed. Except she didn't sleep, she didn't sleep the whole night. By morning she was so exhausted that when an owl tapped at her window it took her a while to notice. She let it in, a packed envelope was tied to its foot. As soon as she untied it, the bird flew away not waiting for payment or food, or rest.

The envelope was addressed to her.

She scraped her fingers at the seal and a thin silver chain fell out, a small delicate snake wove around it made of silver and encrusted with some sort of green stone, not emerald but something softer, lighter maybe. The snake pendent filled with magic moved about the chain weaving around it like a tree branch curling around her fingers at their touch. It was beautiful. Necklace still in hand, she read the letter:

Rose,

This is for you. As you know, I have never been the Malfoy my family line has expected of me. Though maybe looking back at my family tree maybe I should start expecting more out of myself and less from my family name. I've been dreaming of you but not with you it seems. See you at back at Hogwarts.

Scorpius.

P.S The necklace should have been mine, but I feel unfit to wear it being so… you know Ravenclaw.

She dropped the letter to the floor. Looking to her hand where the necklace still sat. She put it on around her neck without thought and burst into well-earned tears. She cried so hard that she thought even with the early morning light only just creeping in, that someone still should have heard her but they didn't.

When she was done crying, she found herself drifting off to sleep.


	7. Chapter 7

When Scorpius first laid eyes on Rose Weasley, he was eleven years old and standing next to his father who was nervously surveying the area. Rose was small, knobbly and had a big bush of frizzy red hair. Her mother, the famous Hermoine Weasley (nee. Granger) was fussing over her, much to Rose's discomfort.

When Scorpius saw her again in sixth year, after being apart from her over Christmas break, she looked worse than when he'd left her. Her hair over the years had tamed, and grown longer and longer still if possible. She was still fairly small compared to most people but she had grown into her bones after all. She looked up and saw him before immediately turning away, tucking her hair behind her ear and stepping onto the Hogwarts Express.

He didn't know what was bothering her, well, other than what bothered them both. Scorpius had assumed that after being apart for so long, that they'd at least catch up.

"God Scorp, how would that go? Hey dreamt about me lately, I've been dreaming about you but you knew that I told you in that creepy letter I gave you." He said to himself, hoping on the opposite end of the train.

What was worse is he'd given her _that _necklace. Honestly, he was sick of having it sit there in his room, staring at him. He wanted to let go of that part of him and it felt like a good idea at the time. _Fuck._

"Hey Scorpius!" Angela Hops called out to him through one of the cabin doors, he ignored her and her greeting and proceeded on through the halls.

"Hey mate," Donald Woods huffed. "How was your holidays?"

"Yeah good." Scorpius replied sitting down opposite him.

"Got off a week early, nice!" Woods elongated the 'nice', not awaiting the confirmation or denial of said statement. Donald was sort of tubby, still very tall, like Scorpius himself with a splash of dusty blonde curls on his head. Donald was also the closest thing to a friend Scorpius had ever got. Donald didn't care to write him over the holidays, nor did he send him cards on his birthday but every morning they ate breakfast together on the Ravenclaw table (even though Donald was a Hufflepuff) and in every class they had together they sat together and worked together. Donald was his _Hogwarts Friend_. "Seen any more of that Weasley girl did ya?"

"No Don. Not a peep." He didn't like that fact either, he had spent his whole Christmas break expecting to fall into another dream walking situation with her but hadn't. He didn't exactly expect her to send him letters or anything but he'd hoped for maybe a reply to the one he'd sent Christmas Day. "Saw her catching the train though." He added.

"I don't understand the rumours mate, you'd never be able to close on a girl like that!" Woods laughed, his body shaking with vigour as he did so.

"Firstly, close? What are people saying?" Scorpius struggled not to laugh, Donald's laugh was always infectious; half the reason Scorpius liked him. "Secondly, what does a girl like that mean?"

"Never mind mate," Donald laughed at the window. Catching Scorpius' dark glare (one he'd mimicked from his father a long time ago) he conceded. "Okay, okay. Rumour was that you two got sent home early because you got caught by a teacher doing it in a broom closet or whatever. And… a girl like that," Woods hesitated. "A girl like that would mean a good one. One whose parents were on the right side of the war."

Donald hadn't mentioned the war before, he didn't ever seem to care that Scorpius was a Malfoy, another reason he liked him so much. Scorpius couldn't help but feel sick at the pitiful look was throwing him at that moment and promptly changed the subject. "Why would I need a girl anyway when I have a tonne of exams to prepare for this year anyway?"

Donald gave a weak smile and Scorpius returned it.

He hadn't really noticed it until their first potions class back from break, over the past few weeks they'd spent their time working potions together in class, sometimes not speaking at all, sometimes speaking of everything under the sun except for the dreams. First class back though Rose paired up with Marcie Adams, who he knew Rose thought to be a dimwit.

After a while, he recognized a pattern of avoidance. They didn't bump into each other down the usual corridors, they didn't eat meals at the same time anymore and whenever they did run into each other she would duck away, often leaving her best friends behind.

It'd been three weeks and his frustration was mounding, he'd asked that Nott girl about it and she just sighed and shook her head. The blonde one also said nothing which was even more peculiar. After a month he was desperate and caved, he needed to get to someone closer to the source. But who?

Surveying the crowd of the great hall one morning he settled on Lily Potter. Female and young, friendly probably easier to get information out of and not likely to punch him in the face for sticking his nose in her cousin's business. Unlike the rest of the Potter-Weasley clan.

"Good morning Malfoy," Lily caught him in the library one morning.

"Ugh, sorry. Good morning." He recovered, getting called by his last name always caught him off guard. "Hey, I've been meaning to talk to you."

"I know." She smiled, "You've been staring at me at breakfast for the past week."

He stuttered out some syllables but got nothing intellectual out other than "Oh, er, buh, er, um sorry yeah."

"Don't worry. I see it too, you want to talk about Rose." Oh thank god, she understood idiot, he thought.

He nodded in response.

"It's not just you. She's withdrawing from everyone. Even her friends, even us. Has been like that since the break." She explained. "Don't know why, won't tell anyone."

"Oh," was all he could manage and Lily Potter left him to his own devices. That and his Charms homework, which was due the next period.

That night in bed he didn't want to sleep. He didn't want to dream. He lay there in his bed, curtains closed willing himself to succumb to another dream walk. Rose couldn't avoid him there could she? He was awake for hours, he actually thought maybe he should give up and just do some homework or something.

_"Rose!" He called, her figured stood with her back to him. _

_ She turned and mouthed 'No' distinctly. In this dream she looked more frazzled than in reality, maybe a manifestation of her inner struggles, who knew? All Scorpius knew was that it worked and he was here with her. _

_ He hesitated. Everything ended quickly when they reached each other last time, so maybe if they kept to the edge of the circle the dark hooded figures were making, they could buy some time._

_ "I had to see you." He began, "Why won't you speak to me? To anyone?"_

_ "You did this? You brought us here?!" She almost yelled, but her voice was dampened by the dream, like it was suffocating sound. "Why would you do that to me?"_

_ "Rose! It's just a dream remember? Please. You have to talk to me!" He steeled himself, "I'll try again if you don't. I'll persist. I won't stop until you let me in!"_

_ "Let you in?" She cried, her face distorting against itself. She was willing herself not to cry, not here, "Haven't I let you in enough? Look at us!" She gestured around the circle._

_ "Rose. I'm sorry about the letter, if I upset you. I'm sure being a Slytherin wasn't easy on you either. I don't know what I was thinking, I just thought I was being nice, or something. I'm sorry. I'm sorry about the rumours too. I know they must be hard on you. If you could tell me a way I could fix any of it I would!" _

_ He was rambling, and it was sweet, he had no idea. She would have smiled at him if she didn't feel someone approach her from behind._

_ The sword was coming. She would die again._

_ In a flurry of movement, shadows and blonde hair. Scorpius swooped her up in his arms, much different from the way he did in the corridor that one time before break. She turned her out of the way, exposing his back to the swords sharp stab. He grunted in pain as it struck between his shoulder blades and his eyes fell lifeless before his body even dropped out of her arms. _

_ "Rose." The hooded assailant whispered, a voice graver than death._


	8. Chapter 8

Scorpius woke up on the floor of his dorm room, scrapping at his back and covered in sweat. After the pain subsided and he realized that he was indeed awake, alive and in no way in mortal danger he chuckled. On the floor like an idiot, he chuckled until someone snoring above him snorted in their sleep.

He got up and he showered, making sure to wash the spot where he felt the sword go through him, extra thoroughly. He didn't care that nothing particularly good came out of his dream last night, other than he felt as if he could initiate it. It may not be true, but it felt like a warped victory.

He only hoped that the situation didn't upset Rose any more than it seemed to. Hmm…

He walked down to breakfast chipper, Donald was already there, looking perfectly tired.

"M'rning!" Donald managed through a mouthful of scrambled eggs. "You looked alright for a man with bags the size of golf balls."

"Gee thanks Don." Scorpius smirked, grabbing a plate of French toast. Donald eyed Scorpius's breakfast longingly, to which Scorpius nodded a friendly 'sure come and get it'.

As Donald slid the piece of French toast he had commandeered from Scorpius, Scorpius eyed the room for that red hair.

"Excuse me?" A nervous prefect asked from beside him. He ignored it, searching for her, he needed to see if talking to her had created a positive or negative effect. "Scorpius Malfoy?" The kid asked again.

"Oh, me, yes, sorry what?" Scorpius snapped to attention. "What can I do for you?"

"Headmistress wants to see you in her office. Now." The prefect narrowed his gaze on him, and so Scorpius took his seriousness to heart.

The prefect led him down the corridors and up a flight of stairs, in total silence. Scorpius meanwhile had a few ideas what this could be about. Crossing his fingers, he hoped it wasn't a big deal.

"Collins was it?"

"Colin," the prefect corrected him. Sounding annoyed, "Colin Creevey. The second."

"Coling Creevey, where have I heard that name before?" Scorpius asked but he didn't receive an answer, they were at the Headmistresses staircase. The prefect left him there, before stopping to hesitate. Walking back to him, Scorpius waited to hear what the guy had to say but all he got was a punch in the face.

The door swung open and Scorpius walked through, nose dripping with blood.

" what is the meaning of this?" Headmistress Mcgonagall almost shrieked.

"Sorry Miss, walked into the wrong door on the way up," he lied. Rose didn't know why that bothered her but it did, was bad enough to watch him bleed in her dreams to watch him bleed in real life was enough.

"Well, sit, clean yourself up." She hurried him, the roar of her office Floo fire sprung to life, and through the green flames Rose's mother stepped out. Rose could almost see him visibly groan, but he kept all noises to himself and she was glad for it.

"Well, Miss Granger, I mean, Mrs. Weasley, pardon. Now that you are here we can start." Mcgonagall announced. "Scorpius. It is my understanding that you two went dream walking again last night."

He nodded, shrinking into the chair he had been seated. Her mother was silent.

"It is also my understanding that you 'made it happen', is this correct?" She eyed her two students, as if to see whether one would object. Neither did. "Well then, Mrs._ Weasley _is here because she would like to start working with you a few nights after class, monitoring you two."

"I'd like to set up some sleep monitoring if that's possible." Her mother, finally, chimed in. "Would it be possible to get a room where I can set up some monitoring spells. I could set up some muggle recording devices to help."

"Yes, yes. That is perfectly acceptable. I think there's a few old classrooms available-"

"I was hoping, that is, to use the room of requirement." Hermoine explained nervously. "I know it hasn't probably been used since the uh… it would be much easier to set everything up there is all."

Headmistress Mcgonagall clutched her chest and mumbled a positive response without saying much of anything else.

"Right, well I think that with upcoming exams it would only be appropriate for you two to work on this after curfew. So you can keep up with your school work. Mrs. Weasley will pick each of you up from your dorm rooms and escort you two to the room… of requirement." Headmistress shooed them out after that, and after a quick hug from her mother Rose ran off to class.

They picked him up together a few minutes after curfew. He'd been waiting awkwardly in the empty corridor waiting when they approached and he ran up to meet them.

"Right, off we go." Mrs. Weasley sounded a lot like a teacher would he decided but she smiled the sort of genuine smile that he didn't get from many of his teachers. He decided he liked her then. She seemed nice.

They walked down the hall quietly not to disrupt the ghosts, nor the students for that matter.

"Hey, do you know what the room of requirements is?" Rose whispered to him, both dragging behind her mother.

After all this time, it was the first thing she'd said to him, he might have been angry if it weren't for what she'd asked. "It's a place my father nearly died in actually. If it weren't for your uncle, mother and father that is."

"Really?" She smirked softly.

"Yeah, I probably wouldn't exist if it weren't for them if you think about it." He sighed.

"The room of requirement!" Rose's mother announced suddenly, probably listening in on them.

As they listened, standing there waiting for her to continue a door slowly appeared into view behind her. Their faces must have spoken volumes as Hermoine smiled knowingly.

Opening the door, the two students were in awe as the room was fitted with two beds, a few muggle cameras and several floating enchanted parchments. Mrs. Granger walked through the room, going over everything, nodding in approval, adjusting things where she deemed necessary. "Come."

She made them sit on the beds, one each.

"Now, Scorpius. Go over what happened last night," she sat on his bed as she said this, studying his face, searching for answers.

"Um," he glanced at Rose. "I needed to speak to Rose. I, just thought if I could will myself into one of those dream walking dreams that I could control the situation enough to talk to her. Let her know what was on my mind."

"And did that work?" She was taking notes, Rose was silently picking at her nails on the other bed.

"It took a while. Felt like hours I think. I'm not sure. I don't even know if it really was me to be honest." He glanced at Rose again, but she wasn't looking up.

"Rose, dear, have you tried?" Hermione looked up from her notes.

"No. Mum…" She went back to picking her nails and Scorpius gave up on engaging her in conversation.

"I'm going to get you two to sleep tonight. Each bed is charmed to pull the memories from your head as your dreaming them. Here," she lifted up the covers to his bed to expose a jar. Rose mimicked her mother's actions to find a jar of her own. "I'll review the data we get from tonight, and tomorrow I'll have Scorpius try to initiate a dream walk. Then the night after that, you'll try Rose."

"We'll be doing this for that long?" Rose cried.

"Probably longer dear. This is all I've planned so far. I'll take action after a review of the data we've collected from these experiments. I'm sorry kids but if we're to get you guys through this we need to explore everything to find a solution."

"Thank you Mrs. Weasley." Scorpius said politely, Rose catching his words gave him an accusatory side glance. _What?_

They both changed into their sleepwear behind change screens supplied by the room. This room, was truly fantastic Scorpius decided. He took a glass of water from the wash basin near the room and drank it completely. As they settled in their beds Hermoine worked around them activating the enchanted scrolls, which immediately began taking their body's vital information.

"Now, the jars won't take your memories unless you're sleeping, so don't worry about that too much. Um, stay in the beds, even if you find the floor more comfortable, the data won't record and the dreams won't be syphoned otherwise."

Mrs. Weasley sat there a moment after she turned the lights off, even in the dim magic-light it was obvious that no one was close to sleep.

"No offense Mum, but we don't fall asleep so easily these days. It might be a while if you intend on waiting." Rose spoke into the silence.

"It's been a while since I watched you go to sleep Rose, I'll wait a while before leaving." She sounded happy in the darkness, and apart of Scorpius started imagining that life. The one where Rose went to sleep as a child under her mother's watchful gaze. Suppose she'd been doing that since Rose was a baby, even after they had her brother Hugo. They'd probably take turns through the night, watching over them, smiling. Holding them when they hurt themselves, playing in a backyard together laughing…

_Rose stood in a pure white dress adorned with gold, her red hair shone like curling flames. He was kneeling down at her feet. She pulled the sword up and in swift movement dug it into his collarbone. He felt warmth pour down his body. Blood, if he had to guess. He couldn't cry out, he was stuck staring at her with reverence. He fell to the floor and felt the distinct thud of his heartbeat slow down, filling his ears with a __**thud… thud… …thud. **__He knew he had died by the time she had screamed. Her scream changed each night with new horror but tonight its misery felt mournful with old sorrow. _

_ Then everything went light, with golden wisps and all he could see were the curls of her hair, the whites of her smiling teeth and golden wings lightening up every space in his vision._


	9. Chapter 9

She felt her whole body scream back to life with a giant breath of air.

"I thought you should see what he sees." Her mother rested a soft hand of her daughters back. "When I noticed that they were the same aside from point of view, I thought I should share. Maybe it'll give light on something we haven't noticed."

"Are you going to show him mine?" Rose breathed.

"Yes. I think so." Her mother crossed her brows determinedly. "I think it's only fair."

"Okay," Rose still struggled to catch her breath. "I'm going to go see if I can catch the end of lunch. See you at curfew?"

Her mother nodded and so Rose left.

"Hey Alex," Rose huffed, almost landing on the Slytherin table.

"Hey you." She replied, shuffling through her book bags. "Can you give this to your mother tonight?"

Rose looked at her incredulously.

Alexandria just rolled her eyes, "I heard your mother was helping out with this and I thought I'd give her all I'd been able to research."

"You've been researching?" Rose's eyed the mounds of papers been handed to her. "Since when?"

"Few weeks after it started I guess?" Alexandria shrugged, taking a pencil from Hyacinth Flint beside her.

"Thanks," Rose smiled.

Alexandria almost blushed, "Oh shut up Rose. You're making me feel very un-Slytherin right now."

"Oh shut up, you know us Slytherin's stick together." Daphne Zabini laughed taking her seat across from them.

"Where have you been?" Alex snapped.

"Snogging," Daphne answered matter-of-factly.

"Oh yeah snogging who?" Alexandria laughed.

"Just some guy," Daphne smirked cheekily.

"Lord. Now I'm done with you," Alexandria gestured to Rose. "I should find someone to snog."

"You're done with me?" Rose asked accusingly.

"Your mother will have this shit sorted in a snap, I don't need to worry about it anymore." Alexandria smiled. "Now Daph, who's the guy? It's Lycan Scamander isn't it?!"

Scorpius finished watching the memory of her perspective of the dream, jolting awake looking down at his hands and then straight through her, cutting her insides like a knife.

"Thanks for this," he said after a while, pointing to the pensieve her mother had already began moving away.

Rose nodded before taking her spot in the middle of her bed.

"Now, focus. Will it to happen," her mother said. In the span of at least an hour, she said it a few times. Nothing seemed to be happening, neither of them were asleep and Scorpius's attempt at trying to get them to dream walk wasn't working. Her mother had nearly fallen asleep on several occasions letting out soft purr like snores.

After a second hour had passed Rose told her mother to go home.

"I'm sorry kids. I'll check up on things tomorrow." And with that she was gone.

Scorpius was still sitting in meditative stance, Rose tried to eye him with what light she had available to her. His hair was pure white in this light and shone in certain places. His eyes were closed underneath long wisps of eyelashes. She wasn't lying when she told her mum that most girls here fancied him, he was tall and lean enough that most girls assumed he had muscles underneath. He didn't play Quidditch though and was never seem without a top on, so no one knew for sure.

He had long fingers. She guessed she always knew that. She'd watch him write and pour potions with them a thousand times over the years probably, but she only noticed them now. Long and smooth, like his arms. He had the kind of arms that flexed at any movement underneath the tautness of his skin. She wondered whether he was strong…

_"Scorpius, you did it didn't you?" She realized that the familiar sight of dark figures. _

_ "Yes. I did. Took a while but I got there." He smiled tiredly._

_ "You look exhausted Scorpius." The effort of getting them here had worn him out. She could tell even here. "Wait, I smell fire."_

_ "It's the torches. There!" He pointed beyond the figures, torches surrounding them blazing fire of blue. "I noticed it the second time we were here. I guess the smell is just another thing to notice."_

_ "Now I'm not hysterical you mean?"_

_ "No. I just think that each time we do this we'll notice more about it all." Scorpius explained, "Shit!"_

_ Scorpius ran to where she was and pushed her out of the way._

She fell out of bed with a thud and heard Scorpius scream awake on the other side of the bed. She clamoured up onto her bed and found him gripping onto the sheets, catching his breath, letting reality slink back in.

"It was definitely my turn. You should have let me have it. It shouldn't have to always be you.

"You didn't see it coming," he breathed. Voice haggard and shaky, "It would have been… worse."

She made her way to him, resting a hand on his shoulder. He shuddered at her touch. Hurt she withdrew it.

"No. Rose. I'm just cold, the sweat." He fumbled in the darkness but found her hand and held it, his left in her right. It was small, cold and soft yet he thumbed it carefully. "Sorry."

"For what?" She asked, holding her other arm close to her chest.

"It doesn't matter, you're cold. You should get under the covers."

"I don't think I could go back to sleep again, could you?" She exhaled, still holding on to his hand. He shook his head, rubbing his temple with his free hand.

"Oh here, sit." He shifted, allowing her to sit down. Her hand felt both cold upon its release and warm from the time it spent in his. She sat down opposite him on his bed and crossed her legs, before folding her socks over the tops of her pyjama ankles. "Cold after all?" He smirked brilliantly, teeth shining in the darkness. Her stomach leapt a little.

"Rose, I need to know why you've been ignoring me. You're the only person, regardless of how much your mother sees in her pensieve, you truly understands what's happening to me, to us. You can't just ignore me.' He paused, "I need you around."

She stepped up off the bed and returned to her own, slipping under the covers and covering herself completely under the blanket.

He snorted at her, clearly annoyed and slipped some of his covers over himself. "Fine!" He barked. "Hide away, avoid everything. See how far we'll get!"

"I don't want to kill you," she whispered in a small broken voice.


	10. Chapter 10

Scorpius poured the potion into a small vial and then again into a medium vial. One to hand in to his teacher, one to keep for his own personal stores. He wrote his name on a label and magically fixed it onto the vial. He handed the teacher the vial and was let out early in response.

He headed down to the library instinctively and found a book for light reading on the mating and reproductive cycle of the Chimera, which he leafed through aimlessly finding his mind begin to wander.

He couldn't help but wonder where this all would lead, would he ever sleep well again? Would they both be haunted by these nightmares forever? Maybe if he could get a single nights rest he could figure it all out? Hell, he'd just settle for a good night's rest full stop.

Rose.

He groaned, he didn't have enough energy for Rose. The longer these dreams went on the more taxing he found them to be.

Rose.

Ugh, maybe he should figure out the recipe for Veritaserum, spike her morning pumpkin juice and go to town. Find out what she was really thinking. Okay so maybe that might be illegal, but Merlin would that be useful. So useful. He could feel himself getting drifty, like sitting there in the library for much longer would cause him to fall asleep.

No. He couldn't have the nightmare here.

He jolted upright and tossed the book to the side, grabbing his things he ran out of the library but not before ramming into someone.

"Uff!"

"Shit. Sorry Mrs. Weasley." He recovered, neither quite falling down, "Sorry for saying shit."

She laughed it off and invited him to join her in the restricted section.

He wasn't allowed to touch any of the books but he sat and kept her company as she perused a few of them. He appreciated being allowed near them actually, so many of them looked so interesting. He tried reading a few of the spines before he realized a few of them didn't have words on the spine, one book's spine actually looked like a real skeletal spine.

"I'm just tired. I would have been paying more attention, I swear." He promised.

"Understandably." She remarked, lifting another book down off the shelf. "I watched your memories from last night. Going over the data it took you three hours to get into the dream walk scape. It was quite horrible, ended abruptly too. Does it usually work that way?"

"With the dream walking it does, we wake up when either of us gets struck by the sword." He leaned back into his chair, leaning on the back two legs at an angle.

"So it's not always you then?" Mrs. Weasley said making it sound almost thoughtlessly.

"First time it happened, we weren't expecting it. She was struck." Scorpius yawned, rubbed his eyes and nearly fell off his chair in the process.

Hermoine eyed him for a moment, "So you've taken the hit every other time?"

"In the dreams we can't really help it. In the other kinds we can, so yeah."

"That's a very nice thing you've done for my daughter then, Scorpius. Consciously or not," Hermoine smiled secretly to herself before getting lost in her work once more.

They sat comfortably together for some time, Hermoine mumbling occasionally.

"Lunch time Miss. You could join us." Scorpius offered but she shook her head, not wanting to start a commotion. "Well, thanks for letting me sit with you. It was nice to just not think."

Hermoine let him leave, only nodding in reciprocation.

"Love get on the bed, you can do your homework tomorrow. Right now you need to focus on initiating the dream like Scorpius did last night. Did you pay attention to what he was doing? Anything might help here." Mrs. Weasley corralled her daughter onto the bed, and pulled away the parchment letting it sit on the chair behind her.

"He kind of just sat there, like a monk." Rose teased, her mother ignored her and adorably tucked her in. "Mum, stop it!"

"Rose," Mrs. Weasley warned.

Hermoine Weasley stayed the three hours it had taken Scorpius to get it to work the night before. Both she and Scorpius encouraged Rose, trying to clear her mind of everything and anything holding her back. She was impatient and the further into the night they got the more irritable she got.

"Rose, this won't work if you snap my head off at every suggestion I give you!"

"I'm supposed to be clearing my mind, how can I do that when you're having a go at me every five minutes?!" Rose snapped.

"I'm not-" Hermoine began.

"Rose, you're supposed to be putting all your will into it, we all know how strong willed you are, you can do this." Scorpius had interrupted, but Hermoine didn't mind as much as it erased the lines forming across Rose's face.

Rose readjusted her sitting position and exhaled one long breath. Nothing happened, for ages nothing happened. "Maybe only Scorpius can do it?!"

"Rose!" Mrs. Weasley threw her hands up into the air and packed up her things. "Look we'll try again tomorrow night. Sleep as best as you can tonight. I'll see what I can get from the data we've gotten tonight."

As soon as her mother left her room Rose relaxed her body almost completely.

"I can't do this. Maybe it's a pureblood thing." Rose teased.

"I'm about as pureblood as you are you know." He laughed, laying back onto his bed, resting his head on top of his hands.

"Really?"

"Yep!" He chirped.

"Wow," She sighed. "Who'd have guessed?"

"Stop mocking me. Either go to bed or get back to meditating." He said into the darkness, "Anyone would know if they bothered to get to know me."

"I'm guessing not many people do."

"Nope." He chirped again as if it didn't bother him but she had a feeling it did.

"How did you really get that blood nose the other day?" She pressed cautiously.

"Some guy punched me in the nose, Colin Creevey, prefect. I don't know him or what his problem is."

"Oh!" Rose understood at once, "His second cousin went here, he um, died in the battle of Hogwarts."

"Enough said!" Scorpius faked a laugh.

"But Scorpius," she began but he cut her off.

"I said enough, Rose. Rose. Just drop it."

"Do you let people punch on you often?" She got no answer. "People can't just do whatever they want to you, you should have reported it." Still, silence. "It's not your fault, Scorpius. You are not your father."

He choked back a breath. "Shut up Rose," trying to sound malicious but it came out soft and weaker than he ever liked to feel.

She didn't shut up but she didn't exactly say anything either. She walked over to him and laid alongside him in his bed, over the top of the covers. It was a single bed so she had to snuggle in real close to him. She was close enough she could smell him, feel his warmth.

"I don't want to kill you Scorpius," she whispered into his chest area.

"Staying away from me doesn't make the dreams go away, and that's all they are, dreams. If you let them effect you otherwise you're inviting them in. They're just dreams, you won't kill me. You'll never have to watch me die." He clutched her close, turning in to face her body with his. Had this strong urge to kiss her like that, but before he could think more on it he fell asleep, Rose still hugging into him.


	11. Chapter 11

Rose woke up in Scorpius's arms. They hadn't let go of each other all night. All night.

"Scorpius! Wake up!" She cried, shooting up to sit. "Scorpius!" She lightly thwacked him on the shoulder.

"Huh, what?" His eyes opened, that mercurial silver slow in them. "What's up?" He let go of her waist to rub his eyes.

"We fell asleep. We slept all night. No dreams. None. Did you have any?" She whispered excitedly.

He thought on it for a moment, "No…"

She smiled the brightest smile he'd seen on her face in the history of his time at Hogwarts, not even in second year when a toad jumped into Miss Bertrude's morning pumpkin juice.

"What does this mean?"

"I don't know. We should tell my mum!" She bounced off the bed and ran to leave but he caught her hand. "What?"

"Hi Mum, I didn't dream last night. I slept perfectly with a boy. In his bed!" Scorpius mimicked her voice the best he could. She would have laughed if it weren't for what he'd said.

"Shit!" She covered her mouth to stop herself from laughing. "You're right. What are we going to do?"

"She's going to figure it out anyway. There'd be no data from your bed last night." Scorpius, ever the Ravenclaw stated.

"Double shit." She laughed.

"That sounds hot!" Daphne practically screamed.

"Shut up!" Rose tried to hush her friends up.

Alexandria who wasn't often prone to squealing and screaming joined in. "Oh Merlin's beard, did you make out. Did you do anything else? What does he look like without a shirt on, everyone's dying to know?! Spill! Spill!" She cried.

"Alex. Shush! All that happened was sleeping, but it was wonderful sleeping. No nightmares, no murder. The first honest to god good sleep I've had since this all started!"

Daphne stared at her with disgust. "You're telling me, you had bad boy hot pants in your bed, his bed whatever and you did nothing?"

"Um, yes. That's exactly what I'm saying…" Rose replied with caution.

Daphne just waved her off and started talking to someone else.

"Did you guys spoon at least?" Alexandria asked, a little calmer now she'd been let down.

"No, we hugged?" Rose knew it sounded lame and now in the light of day felt like an idiot. "I don't know, should we have done something? Who says I want to do something?"

"I'd be more concerned by why he didn't try something," Alexandria whispered into her cup.

Rose paled. "What."

"He's a guy right? Why didn't he try get into your pants or something?" Alexandria was trying to torment her, she knew by the tone of her voice but a silly girly part of her felt more annoyed by the truth of it.

"Well, maybe he's a gentleman, maybe I would have refused him if he had tried something!" She snapped a little too childishly and ran out and up to wait for her next class.

"So, you two. Explain yourselves."

They were seated on their respective beds, they glanced at each other in unison but Scorpius spoke before Rose could find the words.

"We didn't dream the nightmares last night and we didn't dream walk either. We just slept through," He explained. "It was wonderfully refreshing."

Mrs. Weasley stared them down. Scorpius fidgeted in his spot but it was Rose who found her voice first this time.

"We fell asleep… together." Rose said bravely.

"Together?" Rose's mother eyed them both.

"Mum. Scorpius was helping me through it and we kind of just fell asleep, together. On the one bed." Rose explained hesitantly. Scorpius braced himself for onslaught.

Mrs. Weasley just raised a brow, giving away no other indication of feeling or mood.

"In each other's arms." Rose mumbled at last.

Mrs. Weasley rose up abruptly, "Oh my god!" She ran out of the room leaving them alone to fret.

"Well she totally doesn't believe us!" Scorpius exclaimed.

"Oh my god. My dad is going to kill me, I'm going to be grounded into infinity!" Rose got up and started pacing.

"Oh right, of course!" He sneered.

"What?" She cried.

"Nothing!" He flopped back onto his bed.

"What was that supposed to mean?" She questioned, hovering by his side.

"Oh you know, just your dad thinking I've tainted you with my dirty death eater p-" He sneered.

"It's not that!" Rose cried. "You don't understand, the last time I had a boyfriend was-"

"Third year I know, Jonathan Vayne." Scorpius rolled his eyes, he could feel his mood crashing. His stomach churned he'd missed lunch for this.

"My dad went ballistic when he found out. If he think that we've slept together. Oh man!" Rose wouldn't stop pacing and it was beginning to get on his nerves.

"Rose. We didn't. If he doesn't believe you, I'm sure he and his Auror buddies can acquire some Veritaserum or something. I'll testify for you, happy?" Scorpius sighed.

He was so happy when he woke up this morning, it was exactly what he wanted. A nights worth of rest. A night next to her was better, waking up with her…

He got up to leave. He'd find the kitchens maybe.

"Why do you always jump to the conclusion that people are out for you because of who you are?" Rose asked as calmly as she could muster. He ignored her at first and stepped through the door out of the room of requirement. "Well?" She yelled this time.

It provoked him like she knew it would, "Because they always have. Ever since I was a kid it's how it's always been. I've been apologizing for my existence since I was born!"

"Have you ever stopped to think maybe you didn't have to?" She yelled at his back, following his angry strut.

"First visit to Diagon Alley I nearly didn't get my wand. They nearly didn't sell me a wand because of my father." He stopped and spoke in earnest.

"Well. You have a wand!" was all Rose could think to say. He rolled his eyes at her and ran off down the halls again.

"Fuck." She whispered to herself chasing after him.

He found himself out on the school grounds, close to where Hagrid's used to live before he went backpacking around the world with his girlfriend. The shack was empty now.

"Stop running you ass!" Rose breathed, catching up to him.

"Stop following me!" He retorted. "Why does it feel like this isn't about our families, or how much trouble you're going to be in? This is about us, our bond or whatever"

He wanted to hold her again, like he did that day he found her after their very first dream walk together. He did want to kiss her, he cursed that he didn't get a chance to last night. It felt so right to hold her there in her arms. What would she say if he did now?

"Scorpius. I think you're right, it's about us. Why are we fighting, why are we here? Why are we next to the Forbidden Forest? Scorpius I think we should-"

A spell hit him in the back and he blacked out.


	12. Chapter 12

Scorpius woke up with his hands tied behind his back covered in rain he hadn't felt fall on him. The ground was slick with mud and the evening was beginning to settle in. Dark hooded figures encircled him. _No! Merlin's sake no!_

"Rose!" He cried.

"Ooh he is awake!" A hooded figure sung out.

"It is time to begin," cooed another.

"Bring her," said a female voice.

A familiar voice screamed out and the cold shivered through his spine. _Rose. No. She can't be here, this can't be happening. _He could hear her crying before he could see her. This was his fault, he told her not to worry. He brought her, where? Where were they? He didn't recognize anything in this landscape. There weren't even trees, just rocks and grass and those blue flamed torches.

She was distressed, she was fighting against them. She didn't want to come out from behind the rocks. She didn't want to comply with them. She tried pulling herself down to the floor but the two of them dragged her and threw her in front of him. _They wanted her to kill him. He was going to die. _Painful tears tore down his face as he laid eyes on her. Dressed in pure white, robes lined with gold. She was stunningly beautiful. The dress was made for her it held onto her like a glove. She looked like an angel, no wonder he was obsessed with the idea of his resurrection.

This was it. She would kill him. He would die. It wasn't a dream. It'd all been for nothing. "Please, let her go!" He begged. "She doesn't want to do this, take me and let her go!"

"LET HER GO!" He roared into the silence, all that he could hear was her soft sobbing turning ragged in waves of pain. "DID YOU HEAR ME? LET HER GO!"

"Scorpius," she hissed through the tears that decorated her face. "I can't. I can't do this. I can't, please I can't. Scorpius," She fell to her knees in front of him. He wanted to comfort her, but he couldn't with bound hands but he could stand and in doing so he charged the nearest assailant and toppled them to the floor. He wanted to punch his way out of this mess but he couldn't, the attempt was feeble and he knew it. In his rage he head butted the man on the floor, he kept doing so through until he saw blood which was when subsequently they pulled him of the guy.

"Get this moving!" The first voice barked.

"The sword," cooed another.

The female one brought forth a sword of gold hilt and silver blade, it was not the sword of Gryffindor.

"Of course not!" Rose cried. "A Slytherin and a Ravenclaw, neither of us would have noticed a fake sword of Gryffindor!" She wailed.

"What?" Scorpius called out.

"Only a Gryffindor can pull forth the sword of Gryffindor. Do you really see a Gryffindor doing something like this?" Rose explained. "The sword is a fake, which would have been a clue had we known!"

Rose sobbed with the sword in her hands.

Scorpius's mind was racing and the protective feeling he'd felt in all his dreams was more powerful now in real life, it burned through him, "Rose, listen to me. You need to listen to them. It's the only chance you're going to have in getting out of here!"

"No!" She mouthed.

"ENOUGH!" The woman cried, gripping the sword in Rose's hands to steady the girl. As soon as she did each member in the circle drew their wands to the ready. "THE GOLDEN CHILD WILL KILL THE CHILD BORN TO THE DARK! IT SHALL BE DONE! IT HAS BEEN SAID! ALL WILL BE MADE RIGHT!"

"I can't! I can't! I can't! I can't!" Rose cried in protest, but Scorpius steadied. Kneeling at her feet, he looked up at her with fixed eyes, shining in the torch light like mercury.

He could feel his heartbeat through his neck into his ears, pulsing slowly as he calmed himself awaiting his death. He nodded to her and he noticed that indeed her hair shone like fire tonight.

Her eyes lit up and she nodded in final understanding. "I'm sorry." She whispered gravely and swung the sword down.


	13. Chapter 13

Rose Weasley had cut her curls short over the summer holidays just below her ear; she'd like to think that in her final year at Hogwarts she'd at last managed to control her frizz to a minimum. Dominique Weasley an older cousin of her had stayed over at their house over the holidays, taught her how to apply her make up properly. (Apparently she'd been doing it all wrong! Alex should be informed right away!) She'd dusted herself lightly in it today, a nice natural look.

"All set Rosie?" Her father called, lifting her trunk up into the cabin's overhead compartment.

"Think so Dad!" She smiled, hugging him in a warm embrace. "You should go swap with mum, say bye to Hugo before the train pulls away."

"Of course," He laughed. He pulled her into another embrace, tenderer than the first.

"I'll be fine Dad, haven't you figured that out yet?" She laughed, "I'm two parts of the Golden Trio for Merlin's sake!"

"I never got that Golden Trio thing? Where'd the Prophet pull that shit from?" Her father smirked, backing out of the cabin.

"RONALD!" Her mother caught him, never being an advocate of his swearing, especially in front of cabin's full of impressionable young minds. He braced himself for further condemnation but coming down the length of the carriage all she could do was scowl at him. "Go see Hugo off will you?"

She watched out the cabin door as her father in full swing of middle age ran off as if he were a silly teenage boy yet again, maybe it was something to do with the Hogwarts Express and memories past, _who knows? _

"Sit with me Rose?" Her mother gestured into the cabin.

"Do we have time?"

"Come on, you know I turn all our watches back at least five to ten minutes. Your father is late to everything! Did I tell you he nearly slept in the day of our wedding? If it weren't for your Uncle!" Her mother trailed, smiling the smile she reserved for whenever she thought of her husband. It made Rose warm inside, knowing they could still be this way after so long.

"Anyway," her mother cleared her throat. "Last year during Christmas break, you told me that sometimes being our child, being any of our children, was at times taxing on you children. Remember?"

Rose nodded, the smile easing on her face, her brows slacking with concern, "What's this about?"

"I just want you to be prepared for the year ahead. You've been pretty sheltered this summer, but going back to school. It's going to be hard… and this time, it'll be your own rumours and your own legend that will be the centre of it all. I want you to be cautious. Don't let it get to you, or to take away from your studies." Her mother frowned at the last bit, _nothing is more important than your studies!_

The Hogwarts Express sent off a warning toot, and wiping a tear that hadn't properly formed from her eye, her mother got up and embraced her goodbye and left, leaving Rose totally alone.

"Hey precious? Got room for a weary traveller?" Alexandria Nott chuckled from the cabin door, trunks in tow. "As per usual, I _just _made the train. Where's Daphne?"

"Snogging the face off of Lycan Scamander of course!" Rose laughed, rousing from the rest she'd been partaking in.

"I fucking knew it! Hyacinth owes me five galleons!" Alexandria blurted all at once.

Rose laughed, before turning to her friend whom had taken the seat opposite her. "Wait, who did Hyacinth think she was with?"

"Lorcan!" Alexandria snorted.

"His brother?"

"Yerp, who knows maybe she was I wouldn't put it passed her, but this is new, this is open and I win!" Alex shot both arms in the air in triumph, causing a stifled giggle from Rose. "Anyway how was your holidays? Loving the look by the way!"  
"The look is thanks to Dom, she spent the better part of the summer teaching me how to 'girl' properly and telling me about all the boys she had chasing her in France. It was a bit annoying," Rose laughed. As they laughed together sharing stories, Daphne came slumping into the cabin and onto the seat next to Alexandria, looking thoroughly worn out.

"Hey girls," she breathed, her lip gloss smeared across her joyful face, "Rose. Love the hair. Very sexy, how are we?"

Alexandria eyed her as if she was about to wring her out, but smirked at the last second and tackled her into the seat until she was on top of her. "Firstly, oh my god. You've won me five galleons. Secondly, I knew it! Thirdly, tell me everything I need to know all!"

"I'm not telling all, trust me, you wasps aren't ready for that amount of detail!" Daphne teased, receiving curious and excited squeals from her friends. "But I can divulge, that god that man looks yummy. I swear. We spent a few weeks of the summer together at his parents place and Merlin swimming with him in the lake behind his house was dangerous!"

The girls laughed at Daphne's dramatics, listening in full awe for the full length of the trip. From flirtatious banter, to admissions of affection, she relived it all for them in stunning display and thoroughly acted out sequences. They had barely noticed when the train began pulling into the station and only just managed to pull their robes on over their normal clothes before they were carted off to the Great Hall for the feast.

Headmistress Mcgonagall, even in her higher position, still enjoyed the task of performing the Sorting alongside the Sorting Hat. It felt like tradition to her, so even after all these years she did it happily.

Rose was even happier tonight, drinking so much punch and eating so much food she knew she'd feel sick later. Every time a first year was sorted in to Slythern she and her friends would whoop and cheer for them, probably louder than any other on their table did. Each first year who did smiled at their reception and Rose felt even more justified in their doing so.

The doors of the Great Hall thudded open suddenly and everyone turned their head to check out the cause of the interruption. Even to Sorting halted for a moment.

Scorpius Malfoy strutted in. His white gleaming hair was slicked back like his father's, aside from the sides and back which were neatly shaven. He looked determined and focused and ignored the looks his presence caught from the others in the room. He took a spot next to the Woods boy, and tore into the closest available food within his reach. A turkey leg.


	14. Chapter 14

Rose couldn't swallow the lump in her throat and she felt a nervous energy in her stomach drop through her very insides. Suddenly all the food she'd eaten didn't hold its appeal anymore. She hadn't seen Scorpius since that day out on the moor. They hadn't spoken and neither of them wrote each other concerning the events that took place that day.

"Rose are you okay?" Alex whispered, to which Rose shook her head. "Well get your Slytherin face on, okay, people are looking so you're going to need to put on a brave front."

Rose obeyed, smiling before sipping some water she hadn't recalled pouring for herself.

The Sorting continued again as quickly as it had stopped and two more Slytherin's saw the girls whooping and cheering their arrival. To Rose it felt forced but she made sure it was damned believable. Later in the common rooms the girls gathered on Daphne's bed to download.

"Okay spill sweet cheeks. The school's going to be buzzing with falsehoods soon, was there progress over the holidays?" Alexandria asked in the softest voice Rose had ever heard from her Slytherin sister. Alexandria Nott was known to be vicious when provoked, second year, Adam Thornquill's balls.

"I couldn't. He didn't either so… it's nothing. My mum debriefed him on everything afterwards and all. I guess there was nothing else to talk about." Rose sighed, cleaning the dirt from under her nails meticulously.

"That's bull crap." Alexandra spat, taking off her shirt and swapping it for a bigger one she usually preferred for bed.

"Shame too, he's bounced back from this hotter than before," sighed Daphne, whom had taken out her copy of _Witches Weekly _and lay back on the bed to read it. Alex nudged her shoulder in annoyance.

"Girls, I told you both many times via owl that I don't care about that aspect of things. Okay? He can get as hot as he wants to!" Rose snipped.

"Thou doth protest too much," Daphne recited into her magazine cover, the witch on the cover pouting for an unseen camera man.

Rose rolled her eyes and returned to her own bed, which was alongside Daphne's.

"Rosie, don't be like that!" Alexandria followed her, messaging Rose's shoulders roughly.

"Don't call me Rosie, only my family calls me that, you know the rules. AL!" Rose caused Alexandria to jerk. She hated being called Al.

Alexandria sent daggers as she retreated to Daphne's bed, mocking the hiss of a cat on edge. Rose smiled.

_She woke up in the hospital slowly, bandages covering her middle. Her mother exhales deeply and her father smiles, gripping onto his wife's shoulder in a gesture of support. _

_ "Why Rose why?" Her father's voice fills her ears._

_ "Ronald no, let this go!" Her mother's voice echoes until the words fray at their audial edges._

_ Days melted and she felt the pull of sleeping and waking and falling in and out again and again. Where was Scorpius? Why wouldn't Scorpius see her? She heard sobbing, had she died? No, she was crying. The scar was pink and tore down her front like an ugly reminder. _

_She saw herself in the mirror. She watched her fingers trace the line of pink down her belly and through her belly button before stopping just below her pant line._

_ "Why Rose why?" Her father whispered, now he was crying._

It wasn't a nightmare, it was a collection of memories and for that Rose felt safe. She'd felt safe for a long time after, knowing that it was all over with. The cult had been hunted down and locked away, some choosing suicide over the madness of Azkaban. Her own father and Uncle had been a part of the Auror team that hunted them all down. Nothing could make her feel safer.

It wasn't the act of dreaming but the content within these memories that irked her, placing a hand upon her belly subconsciously, she knew if she pulled up her pyjama top she'd find the same scar she'd seen in the dream sitting there.

Pulling back her bed curtains she threw her feet over the bed and got ready for her first day of classes.

Potions first up.

Rose wanted to be an Auror like her father. Though she did take after her mother a lot, especially in the book smarts department, she had a side of her that sought out something more. Hugo liked to say it was the Slytherin part of her but she figured it was part of her father in her, trying to prove herself against the studious grain.

To become an Auror these days you needed to take Advance Potions, which was a small class and more difficult to complete with the required marks. Rose felt as if she were up to the challenge. This year would be different, she would be free from harrowing distractions and be the best she could be. Her new hair cut gave her new found confidence which felt silly, she admitted to herself, but it worked. She would tackle this year head on.

She strode on into to the potions dungeon and found the backs of only five other students awaiting her.

"Ah Miss Rose, you are just on time." Her teacher announced loud enough for her peers to snap their attentions back to her.

_Shit, _there goes tackling this year head on.

Amity, Hyacinth, Lycan, Jonathan Vayne and Scorpius… _great._


	15. Chapter 15

Rose spent the next hour or so chopping up ingredients alongside Jonathan Vayne, which was awkward at first but after a few ill-timed jokes from Jonny they broke the ice and got back to some sort of level of familiar acquaintance. They chose a simple tonic that was supposed to dye your hair blue for a twenty-four hour period. They got close, managing to dye some horse hair in the store room purple.

"Thanks for the group work," Jonny waved heading out the door to lunch. "We should catch up soon?"

Rose mumbled something that she hoped sounded non-committal, she wasn't quite sure she'd like to be friends with Jonny quite yet. She had a feeling he wasn't the type to stay just friends. Wait, wasn't he dating someone last year? Monica? Melissa? Whatever happened to that?

Scorpius inhaled a sneer, the last of her small class to leave the room. Looking up to him, she watched him check her up and down with his eyes, return his gaze to meet hers before leaving wordlessly.

After a busy first day she barely had time to think back on Scorpius or Jonny. She had to race from class to class and to meals and then found herself laden with homework and exam study schedules.

Last year at Hogwarts, got to make it count.

She was stuck on her bed doing homework all night until all the lights were turned out. She tried working by wand light but found her eyes straining after a while and fell asleep.

There was a _tap-tap-tap_ against her bedroom window just before day break, it woke her up and foggily she realized she was still in her clothes from the day before.

_Tap-tap-tap! _She got up and opened her window, a small tawny owl met her there and dropped a small letter from its mouth. "Strange." She opened the letter.

**WHAT HAPPENED LAST YEAR?**

Ugh! Scorpius, finally.

**You know what happened!**

She wrote back on the parchment, folded it back up and gave it to the owl who was waiting by the window sill. She slumped back into her bed and decided that her eyes hated her more now for being awake than when they were struggling to stay awake. She felt her body sink into the comfort of her warm bed, not bothering to open the blankets open onto the cold mattress below. She felt herself drifting off again when she heard the familiar _tap-tap-tap _again.

"I am going to kill that boy, I swear." She whispered to herself.

**TELL ME WHAT HAPPENED!**

She rolled her eyes, scribbled a reply and threw it hapharzardly for the owl to catch.

**Fuck off, and let me sleep.**

She fell asleep and didn't wake up again until it was time for breakfast.

"You look like death dear," Alexandria yawned at breakfast fumbling with her fork, struggling to get the scrambled eggs into her mouth.

"Aw," Rose said lacing as much sarcasm into it as she could. "You say the sweetest things."

"You know, if you wanted you could pull off a nice Goth look, run eyeliner right over those puffy bags you got going underneath there." Daphne joked, pulling a scone apart with her polished fingernails.

"Har-har!" Rose whined.

"Seriously babe, you got to take it easy on the studying, its only second day back." Daphne added.

"It wasn't just that, I got an early morning wake up owl, from _Scorpius._" Rose drawled in a tired tone.

Her friends exchanged curious glances before staring at her, obviously requiring more information.

"Scoripus sent me an owl asking me what happened last year, like he doesn't know." She sighed. "Kind of an aggressive move for someone who didn't talk to me at all over the summer."

"Maybe he means something else by it?" Daphne smirked, scone in tattered pieces on her plate.

"Please don't Daph, I'm not in the mood for either of your theories. I had to put up with them from both of you, remember." Rose sighed, resting her face in her palm, her arm holding it up against the table.

"Should ask him about it," Alexandria commented dismissively. "Rose?"

Rose had fallen asleep at the table.

"Look alive Weasley!" Jonny called to her through the throngs of students. "You're going to get trampled if you don't pay attention."

He ran over to her and collected her up into a nearby alcove until the bulk of the masses had passed. He smiled in that knowing way he had all those years ago, and while he had grown up significantly his face still held the same looks about it that she had originally liked.

"You're still quite short you know, I've seen second years taller than you!" He had meant it as a joke, but it annoyed her. She hated being shorter than most seventh years. Actually, she might be the shortest in her year now, she wasn't sure. She also didn't like the presumption that she needed to be saved either.

"I'm just tired, I wasn't paying attention to my surroundings." She gestured around at the students.

He stepped in closer to her, causing her to clutch tighter onto her books.

"Just be sure not to repeat it okay, be a pity to see you as roadkill," he laughed. She supposed he had been attempted to flirt with her, but as he walked away all she could think was comparing her to dead animals was not the best way to go about it.

After a full day, and a few more assignments (Transfigurations) Rose collapsed into her bed. She lay there staring at the green velvet of her bed curtains before sitting up to put her things away and change into some comfy sleepwear.

That's when she noticed the note on her bed:

**TELL ME WHAT HAPPENED LAST YEAR.**


	16. Chapter 16

_He could feel his heartbeat through his neck into his ears, pulsing slowly as he calmed himself awaiting his death. He nodded to her and he noticed that indeed her hair shone like fire tonight._

_ Her eyes lit up and she nodded in final understanding. "I'm sorry." She whispered gravely and swung the sword down into her belly._

_ The screams around him quickly became background noise as she dropped the sword to the floor, her outstretched palms covered in blood. Her body trembled as she fell to the floor and the noises around them blurred further as the hooded figures scurried away like rats. _

_ He pulled off his shirt, struggling against the wet friction, holding it against the bleeding area; her dress drenching in red. He whispered things, to her and to himself, to the skies above him but he couldn't hear it. The world felt muted. He could feel the wards fall down around him as their kidnappers ran off, magic sizzling away in the air like plastic film and so he scooped her up into his arms, tripping on the edges of her dress as he rose._

_ He aparated to Wizard London, that much he knew but all he saw was cobbled roads and dusty windows. Where else could he go? He ran with her in his arms searching for something he couldn't find. Somewhere he hadn't been?_

_ He was running and Rose was fading, tears streaked his face. _

_He ran for what felt like a long time before bursting through a set of double doors. White-robed witches hurried to their side and he felt safer. He fell to his knees, his own body shaking with cold maybe._

_He didn't want to let go but they took her away._

Scorpius woke up in his bed breathing evenly. These dreams were much easier than the ones that had persisted against him last year. These dreams were rough memories whereas the ones last year were conjured by magic to haunt them into easier prey.

There was noise around him but he didn't care, he just lay there like a starfish, feet hanging over the edges of the bed still enveloped by blankets. He remembered it more clearly in his mind than in the dream, he remembered such clarity and panic and dread, all the fear that crushed him.

He'd never been to 's until that day, which is why he found it so hard to find the place. He knew roughly where it was, which is how he aparated close by, but besides that nothing. It'd felt like a miracle when he'd gotten inside but when he did Rose looked so very dead already. He hadn't wanted to let her go.

He wanted to ask her why, he wanted to shake her and yell at her. "It should have been me!"

The hours that he'd spent at 's were difficult, the Medi-witches asked him a series of questions, and he answered as best he could whilst struggling through the vision of her plunging in the sword again and again.

"Rose Weasley."

"A sword."

"No. No."

"Rose did. There were men…" Scorpius had swam in his recollections for hours before her parents got word.

"YOU FUCKING GIT GET AWAY FROM MY DAUGHTER!?" Her father had pulled him by the collar out of his chair and thrown him against a wall.

"RONALD DON'T!" Rose's mother tried to calm him, but he was ablaze with anger.

"YOU KNOW WHAT HE DID 'ERMOINE, YOU WHAT THEM MALFOYS CAN DO!" Scorpius had flinched when had said it then and flinched at its memory now. Malfoy. Right…

"You don't know that he did it Ron! Talk to him, talk to the Medi-witches, Ron don't!" She pulled at the shirt on her husband's back, trying to pull him away from the conflict but it was useless.

"It's, It's okay M-Miss Weasley." Scorpius had stuttered, which he never did. He held onto 's wrists, trying to get him to calm down.

"Ronald Billius Weasley, you are an Auror and you have a certain code to live up to, do you really think that blowing up like this won't have its consequences?" In a steady, final sounding voice Mrs. Weasley had finally calmed him down with her renowned logic and Ron slowly let Scorpius down in to his chair once more.

"Fine," was all Ron Weasley said before escorting Scorpius into a utilities closet. He mumbled an incantation and flicked his wand lazily at Scorpius, whose hands immediately closed together as if they were magnets and a slither of magic wound around them before solidifying. Hand-cuffing him. "We'll settle this later."

Mr. Weasley had closed the door and locked him in there, letting Scorpius mope in the darkness.

"You alright mate?" Woods asked at breakfast.

"Yeah mate. Just some weird dreams." Scorpius chuckled, trying to brush it off.

Woods however seemed to go rigid like a board at the mention of dreaming. "Nothing like that mate, just some normal kind of weird" Scorpius clarified, Don's shoulders slacking instantly into calm.

"I got Care of Magical Creatures next, I should go." Woods explained, shoving a piece of toast into his mouth before collecting his book bag up onto his shoulder.

"I have Charms and then Herbology, see you at lunch?"

Woods nodded, and then left Scorpius to sit alone with his tea and crumpets.

"Excellent Scorpius! Yes, now peel the outer layer of dirt from the stalk… yes! You've done it!" Professor Stem cried, walking him through the extraction of Gurplump stalk removal. "Now, the Gurplump stalk can be cut up for potion making and the bushy leaves can be used to heal cuts in some breeds of hippogriff!"

Scorpius liked Herbology. He was great at Potions naturally, but he'd always liked Herbology better. He liked getting dirty in a way he knew his father never would. He liked watching or even making things grow. He liked learning how to harvest the plants for their resources without harming them, he liked learning their secrets in a way he never liked doing in Care of Magical Creatures.

"Miss will this deteriorate like this? I know dried Gurlump stalk gets used in potions but what about fresh?" Scorpius asked.

"Ah, no. I'm sorry but like wine, Gurlump stalk only gets better with age. Researchers have shown that the acidity in fresh stalks ruins its magical potency in potions. I can give you copies of the research papers, they were in _Herbology Now._"

"Yes please, thanks." He liked Professor Stem, she was younger than most teachers and let him work on the plants afterhours, serving coffee for both of them when he did.

"You're good," a girl with wisps of dirty blonde hair stated, standing beside him at the greenhouse bench. "I mean, I need this for my exams but I am a bit shocking at this."

Scorpius smiled politely, turning back to his Gurlump plant, retrieving another perfect stalk.

"I'm Melinda, by the way, Melinda Webb." She offered a dirt encrusted hand, and he offered her similarly dirt one in return.

"Scorpius." He gave a taut smile, waiting for recognition.

"Oh!" She exclaimed. There it was. "You were top of our year last year for Herbology I think."

It caught him so off guard to be noticed for his own merits and not his last name that he kind of hung there strangely. She let go of the hand shake smiling, "I should stick with you this year if I want to pass."

Professor Stem brought him the research notes and he helped Melinda Webb extract her stalks, not really caring if she was using him for his intellect or not. He was just happy that someone had acknowledged anything about him other than his last name.

He had a quick meal at lunch, telling Don all about today's Herbology class. Don listening only moderately, he 'yeah?' and 'uh huh'-ed at all the right moments. Scorpius didn't care, he was in a good mood.

"I'll escort you to Potions, I have a free." Don announced. "I'm headed that way."

"Thanks," he gleamed.

Wait. Potions. Oh crap. Happy mood gone. Last week he'd had to sit through Jonathan Vayne putting the moves on Rose. It was obvious, he was obvious and also the loudest person in the room. Another class of that wasn't what he was after. They'd had theoretical classes since, but that involved a lot of writing and class-wide silence. Thankfully. Practical though, that would be torture.

"Mind if I leave you here?" Don asked, hovering at the beginning of the corridor that led to the Potion's dungeons.

"Don, are you meeting up with a girl?" It asked Scorpius suddenly. The idea leaving his mouth before really going through his mind.

"Ur, no." Woods answered too nervously for it to sound truthful but Scorpius left it, waving him on.

"Go on then," he smirked. Good on him. Bought time. That boy deserves a nice distraction.

Scorpius was scrolling through a list of potential girls he imagined Don to be hooking up with, none of them sitting right in his mind. Actually Don making out in general wasn't a pleasant thought. He tried shaking the thought out of his mind-

It happened quickly, he was hit in his middle, pushed right against the wall of the nearby alcove, wand pressed to his throat. Oh god, here it comes. His worst fear, the revenge of a student for his father's crimes. Punishment in all finality. He knew after the events of last year that he wasn't afraid of dying but the why he was would hurt him more. Opening his eyes, it was… Rose.

"What the fuck Weasley?" He spat.

"Shut up _Malfoy_," he flinched again. Not because of the name, but because she used it. She knew it upset him and she used it purposefully with venom. He'd hate to admit that it hurt him. He remained silent, panting from the air she'd winded out of him. 'How did someone so much shorter than him overpower him?' he wondered.

"I need you to stop!" She came in close, as close as her height could get to his ear. He could smell her hair. "Stop with the notes, we almost went crazy last year, how dare you do that to me again?" She yelled louder this time.

"What notes?" He let slip.

"Don't what notes me," She barked and digging into the pockets inside her robe, she threw a flurry of them in the air.

_What?_ They fell to the ground, save a few, one of which landed on his chest near his right hand shoulder. He picked it up and pushed her off him when he'd read it.

"Rose! What the fuck is this?" He was seething, his eyebrows crossed. "I'm not sending you these, what the _fuck_ are these?" He bent down and picked the rest of them up, "Rose! There are so many of them! Who is doing this?"

He looked up at her and watched her back away with a still porcelain-like face, the frosting of freckles that were so full in her flush of madness before paling against her skin, as if she'd seen a ghost.

"Rose." He breathed.

Her eyes, were wide as she drifted from him, realization hitting her. He watched her small curls trembled as she began running down the hall to class.

It wasn't till she'd gone that he realized, with a small blush, just how close she'd gotten up against him.


	17. Chapter 17

Scorpius slunk in next to her at Potions and part of her preferred it that way. She wasn't sure if she could handle Jonathan right now. She'd handled the past week, thinking it was just Scorpius. Even though the messages had been getting pretty aggressive she had Scorpius to blame it on and she could trust that no matter how angry he appeared to be, he wouldn't hurt her. Now she knew it wasn't him though, last year's terrors shot up her spine and chilled her to her bones.

"It's going to be okay," Scorpius whispered underneath his breath.

She closed her eyes, trying to find peace there, trying to regulate her breathing. Her potions professor was prattling on about the potion their curriculum called for today but she could barely hear him. She exhaled and inhaled, slow and calmly.

_"It's going to be okay, Rose"_ Scorpius whispered underneath his breath.

Someone had gone into her room, someone knew where she slept. Someone wanted to know about the Rebirth Cult, they wanted to know about her scar.

_"Just breathe, I'm here Rose. We'll figure it out,"_ Scorpius whispered underneath his breath.

What if someone came after her again? What it was the cult? 'Dad said they'd caught all of them, save the two who killed themselves!' Who was left? She winced at the thought of last year. Then the soft touch of a thumb brought her back into focus.

Scorpius was facing the blackboard where a charmed stick of chalk was writing down notes, things to keep an eye on when making today's potion. _Don't over stir, over stirring could cause potion to bubble over! _His hand however was dexterously hidden under his robe, and under his other arm holding onto hers. His thumb lightly caressing the back of her hand. It was soft and gentle and reassuring, otherwise she would have pulled her own away from it. It brought her right back into last year, where they had been there for each other.

"Class! You may begin." The six students paired off and began working on their potions.

"Hey Rose!" Jonny sauntered over. Ughh!

"I'll get the ingredients Rose, you set up the cauldron?" Scorpius announced unnecessarily loud, face straight as nails.

Rose smirked inwardly as Jonny sauntered back to Lycan, Amity and Hyacinth already bustling away. She mouthed a 'Thank you' towards Scorpius and he shot an honest gleaming smile in return, making her insides twist.

Scorpius didn't feel too hungry when dinnertime came round so he read through the notes Professor Stem had given him and played around with his vegetables. It was interesting stuff, going through a week by week breakdown of the stalks potency and usage.

He noticed a weird silence around the table looking up to find eyes around him staring, "Scorpius." He looked up to find Rose in Muggle clothes. "Will you meet me in the library after dinner?" She asked with innocent open eyes.

He tossed a branch of broccoli into his mouth before answering, "You know what that'll look like."

"I don't care." She exclaimed.

"Fine," he rose up dropping his fork. "Let's go now. I'm not that hungry."

He collected his things, and followed her to the library. He followed onward, not listening to the whispers suddenly converge behind them. He watched her and her only and their opinions suddenly didn't matter. He continued his gaze on her, weaving through the castle until he found his gaze fall upon the swish of her dress skirts, her hips. Biting his lip.

'Lip biting really? Oh man, grow up please!' He scolded himself inwardly.

"Here we go, let's get a table up the back!" She smiled. The smile was little but far better that the look of shock during class.

_Her hands. _God he needed to take a break, he'd gone from lip biting to reminiscing about hand holding in the span of a minute, not even romantic hand holding! Maybe he should stay away from her, like his father had suggested. At the time it seemed like a typical Malfoy/Sltherin thing to say but maybe his father had seen something he didn't?

"Sit." She seemed to repeat. Did he miss her say it the first time? Great now she thought he was a dumb ass.

He sat.

"Okay, well. I was wondering if I could have those notes back." She seemed nervous, worried again.

Fuck. "Um, not really…"

"What?" Her eyebrows shot up. "What do you mean?"

"I gave them to someone."

"YOU GAVE THEM TO SOMEONE!" Rose got a glare from Madam Pince, "You gave them away?" She sounded pleading, "I only threw them at you a few hours ago."

"I sent them to someone… By owl… Someone I hope can help. Someone we can trust," He treaded carefully, his face akin to the one he'd pulled when he had to scoop Hippogriff poop off his robes fourth year.

"Oh, someone **we **can trust huh? And how do you know that? Huh? How are you so sure?" She crossed her arms over chest. Scorpius knew this would not go so well.

"Well, I know because… she helped us out last year… with our little problem."

"My mum?!" She cried, receiving a shushing sound from Madam Pince again. "Actually, that's a good idea. She's the one who tracked the Rebirth Cult's magic back to them she could figure out if it's them again." She caught herself suddenly at the mention of last year.

Awkward silence settled between them, maybe he should apologize?

"I-"

"Look, I know that you probably would have wanted to talk about last year but-" She began.

"It's okay your Dad clued me in. He said I shouldn't pry, I won't. I promise," He smiled politely, the memory of her father watching his memories through the pensieve and then un-cuffing him wasn't his favourite memory to dwell on.

_"She needs time to heal and you're going to give her that time. You're gonna stay away from her alright!" He'd roared, throwing him out of the utility closet._

"What?" She exhaled.

"What?" he returned.

"What did my Dad say?" She breathed again.

"Shit." Scorpius spat but she wasn't listening.

For her everything was coming into place, clicking together in her mind. "Of course he did. Of course. That explains it all. Wow I really didn't see that did I?" Rose rambled to herself. "I'm sorry," she announced looking back to him at once. "I just thought, all summer…"

She steeled herself, "I woke up in the hospital alone and afraid for you. You were there when I blacked out but after that anything could have happened to you… My parents, they told me you were okay, they told me how you got me there to safety, thank you by the way for that, but you didn't write and you didn't visit. I started not believing them, thinking I had done something wrong. They tried their hardest to redirect my focus from what happened that night, inviting my cousin over, going out every other day of the holidays… I saw you at Diagon Alley. Getting school supplies, do you remember? You looked right through me."

Scorpius didn't have words, he couldn't collect anything in his useless Ravenclaw brain to say anything let alone anything articulate. He probably should have left her there and then wrote a letter that fully explained his every thought. Instead he gave her the dumbest smile he'd ever felt across his face and then exhaled a shaky breath he hadn't known he was holding onto.

"If you could ask me any one question about that day, what would it be?" She smirked brushing her hair behind her fringe.

"Why?" His croaked, hoping to convey everything in to one look as he could.

Her face straightened into stillness. "Right. Um, I thought you might go for that one." She began, shifting in her seat across from him.

He steadied his palms flat onto the table in front of him, holding his gaze, waiting for her explanation.

"There was something about the way they said that I was the Golden Child and you were the one born to the Dark. They treated me fairly well for a kidnapping, the way we dreamt those dreams, it dawned on me that they wanted **me **to kill you. They could have done it, I'm sure. They coveted my parents and my uncle in the end. I was of value, I was prized to them as a child of the Golden Trio. We weren't getting out of there by simply not doing it. The only other choice was taking them off guard."

"Stabbing yourself? Rose you could have died!" He exclaimed feeling his palms begin to sweat.

"You know that I never wanted to kill you, I wouldn't have done that to you for anything. So I did it for me, really." She flushed, "I'm a terrible Slytherin aren't I?" She chuckled.

"Fucked if I'd know," He blurted making her laugh finally. He felt lighter for it, "You're the Slytherin not me remember!"

She chewed her bottom lip. 'Merlin,' He swore inwardly.

"Can I tell you a secret?" She smirked her own sort of smirk and he leaned into the table playfully. "First year Albus was really nervous about being put into Slytherin House. He told his dad about it and his dad told him that the Sorting Hat took your opinion into consideration, you could ask to be put somewhere else. Albus told us about it on the train ride up to Hogwarts. In the end, the Sorting Hat immediately threw him into Gryffindor." Scorpius just nodded listening to the story. "I've always been my parent's daughter. You can't imagine how many events I was dragged to as a child, memorials, meetings, benefits. I _asked_ the Sorting Hat to put me into Slytherin."

"I can understand that." He began without hesitation or judgement. "I wish I had such a daring secret but the Sorting Hat put me into Ravenclaw about as quickly as he put Albus into Gryffindor. I've always wanted to be something other than my father, I think I may dare call it my greatest fault. It overcomes most of my natural decisions I think, but I understand what it's like to live in the shadows on one's parents." He explained solemnly.

And in this they found some common ground.


	18. Chapter 18

"You're mother thanked me for the notes, said she'd look into them." Scorpius approached her in the halls the next day and for once, since everything began, she was happy to see him without foreshadowing's of pain or unresolved anguish.

"What else?" She studied him, "There's something else I can tell." It was there, something in his face that gave it away.

If she thought Scorpius could blush that's what she'd consider he was doing now, "She thanked me for continuing to look out for you." God she hoped he didn't fancy her mother. The idol worship was one thing, but he was a teenage boy there was the posibility. Ew.

"Right," she elongated purposefully. "What you got?"

"I've got an essay for Magic History to do up in the library, you?" He tucked a hand into his pants, blush subsiding quickly.

"I've got a free too! Why haven't I seen you held up in the library like everyone else?" She exclaimed.

"Usually I just sit in my dorm and work on stuff, I'd be there now but there's a book I need for this," He gestured towards his books and parchment probably hidden somewhere within.

"Um," she began startlingly nervous. "We could study together. I don't think we have anything else together besides Potions, but I could try help you with anything else. It couldn't be that bad. You could bounce ideas off me."

"Sure," he nodded.

They walked alongside each other, not too fast but not too slow Rose just feeling awkward. Wasn't she happy to see him earlier? What happened?

They reached the same table they'd sat in the day before and sat in the same seats, unloading themselves of all their books and writing things. She smiled at him, he'd set up his things so methodically just like she did.

They jumped right into it without saying much else, Scorpius found the book he needed and leafed through it quickly scribbling notes as he did.

"Where'd you get your quills?" He asked after a while.

"Sorry what?" Rose peered over from her Charms assignment (yet another one!).

"Your quills, I like them, their neatly trimmed, short and seem to write fairly well. Where'd you get them? I'd like to get some blue ones," He explained.

"Oh, my mother gets me them for Christmas every year, sort of supporting my Slytherin life style buying emerald green quills and such. My dad bought me a Syltherin scarf once, said it was only because he had to get me into Quidditch somehow." She laughed, fixing the green and grey tie at her throat. "I don't know where she gets them sorry."

"Oh well. My loss, guess I'm stuck with these natural disasters," he waved his ostrich feather quill in the air dramatically causing her to snicker.

"Right," she sighed.

"Can I ask you something?" he asked her, his eyes melting into hers. Her own pulse rising.

"Sure," she smiled weakly. Why was she smiling so much lately?

"Did they send another one last night? Another note?" He looked concerned as he fiddled with his quill nib, staining his fingers in black ink.

"Yes," she whispered faintly pulling it forth from beneath her robes. He took it from her, leaning over and filling the gap.

**WE HAVE WAYS TO FIND OUT THE TRUTH. TELL US WHAT HAPPENED LAST YEAR!**

"We?" He looked at it puzzled, "Do you think they're referring to themselves as an entity here, or are there actually more people behind the notes than we think?"

"I don't know," Rose cried hanging her head. "It would make more sense if it were a few people. I think it's convenient that whoever is doing this can break through the magic that keeps people out of the seventh year girls room."

He reached a hand out to grip her wrist, "Your mother will figure this out. Hell she nearly had the whole thing last year figured out remember? It wasn't exactly her fault that we got kidnapped just as she broke through the case."

Ah yes. The moment last year her mother had gone speeding off, Rose had thought it was the reaction to them sleeping in the same bed. Wow, how strange that was to recollect.

_"I figured it out just before you two were taken. The reason you could dream walk, wasn't their magic at all. It was the bond you two had created out of plight of all this. That's why Scorpius could activate it, he was saving you two from the dreams, but their magic was trying to work against you. That's why it would end with their control. The final blow with the sword. The night you spent together, your magic unified on a touch to touch basis, strengthening it past their control. Once I figured that out, the magic they were using to bring forth the nightmares was easy to identify. If you hadn't already escaped from them we would have eventually tracked their magic. There have been reports going round about the Cult of Rebirth, using this type of magic. It's mostly been hushed up and a lot of it has been speculation until now. After Voldemort's' demise, they wanted to bring forth a rebirth of magic by cutting out all the 'evil' still within it…"_

"Hi Scorpius!" A girl called from across the library and he removed his hand to turn and wave back at her.

"Hey Mel," he smiled.

"Girlfriend ey?" Rose glowered as she watched the girl walk away.

"Pfft, nah. She's just this girl in Herbology." He went back to scribbling his notes.

She eyed him disbelievingly, "Sure."

"Nah, she reckons she needs help in Herbology for her final grade. She's cool. She's one of those rare breeds of people who hears my name and doesn't go running for the hills. That's all." He hunched over as he spoke as if he was telling her a secret or something. She knew being a Malfoy bothered him and silently thanked Merlin that he wasn't put into Slytherin after all; that might have destroyed him.

What would it have been like if they were put into Slytherin together? Would they have been friends from the word go? Would he look as alone as he always did now? Ugh, Daphne probably would have tried to climb him like a tree already if he had.

"Cool," she said finally before returning to her assignment: _Imbuing charms of lesser protection._

"Do you want to go out with me this weekend, Hogsmeade? Like old times!" Jonny had caught her in the halls again. Did he have a tracking spell on her or something?

"I'm not sure if I'm going out to Hogsmeade this weekend." She deflected.

"Aw! But its first weekend trip back!" He cried, trying to sound as persuasive as possible.

"I have a lot of homework to get through, I haven't been making a jump of it as much as I'd liked." She explained, trying to walk down the hallway from him.

He followed her, much to her chagrin. "But you're Rose Weasley! There's no way you are falling behind, trust me, it's probably all in your head! Let loose, you probably won't get a chance to later!"

_Weasley._

"I'll think about it!" She responded, trying to tame her mind from shouting all the other things she'd rather say.

"What are we thinking about?" Scorpius came out from around the corner.

"Trying to get Rose out with me with weekend, study bug won't relent." Jonny explained, she wished he didn't.

"Ah! Of course," Scorpius sighed visibly biting his tongue.

Mel, or Melinda Webb as Rose had discovered (Thanks to her two wonderful Slytherin spies, Alex and Daphne) appeared from behind his sleeve.

"Hogmeade! Sounds fun, we should all go!" Melinda chirped. "The four of us!"

"Ugh, maybe." Scorpius wavered, scratching his head.

"No!" Rose heard herself say. "That sounds like a great idea!"

"Really?!" Jonny brightened. Fuck.

"Yeah. Let's do it. The four of us!" Rose cried out in feigned enthusiasm, feeling her own bitterness upon her tongue.

"Ugh, okay. I guess it's on." Scorpius agreed and Melinda brightened, clutching his arm. "We've got Herbology. Guess I'll see you two this Saturday then?"

"In front on the steps by ten, let's say?" Melinda decided and Jonny agreed.

_Great…_


	19. Chapter 19

Scorpius tucked his neck into his navy blue jacket, flipping its collar up for protection against the wind. He was early and cold and regretted his decision to go. Why did he agree to this? _Rose? _Ah yes. Bad idea Scorpius.

"Hey," Rose bundled in a Chudley Cannons sweater came bouncing down the steps. He eyed her purposefully. "Father's idea of subtle brainwashing. Warmest thing I own unfortunately."

"Hey, each to their own!" He raised his arms in surrender. "Your mother owled me this morning. Said she couldn't match the magic used with any magics used in previous wrong doings. So that's a good sign, can't be _Rebirth_."

"Why is my mother telling you all this? Where are my letters huh?" She accused him playfully, faking a right jab into his arm.

"Hey guys!" Jonathan Vayne came out of nowhere bringing Melinda Webb with him, "Look who I found!"

They walked down to Hogsmeade together, Jonathan Vayne up front with Rose. He watched as Rose mercilessly denied Jonathan her hand to hold five different times, stuffing her hands into her jumper as an alternative. Scorpius couldn't be happier.

Melinda Webb followed along by Scorpius's side chatting away about different plants and things, and how she hoped to score an internship after Hogwarts at one of the wizarding world's 'most prestigious magazines _Homebound Witches'._ The kind of magazine witches bought for recipes and tonics and gossip and things.

Scorpius found he barely listened, following Don's education of 'oh' and 'uh huh's at the appropriate intervals, watching Rose on her date instead.

They walked through the streets entering different shops at their pleasure, Melinda tugging on his arm at different intervals. Did Melinda think this was a date?

They went through Zonko's before turning back to the Leaky Cauldron for something warm to drink. "I'll have a tea thanks!" Scorpius ordered.

"Come on mate, it's the Leaky Cauldron, order a ButterBeer for Merlin's sake." Jonathan it seemed was the type to friendly and ceremoniously thwack one on the back as a sign of friendship. He despised him.

"I don't really like ButterBeer thanks, the tea is fine with me." Scorpius sighed, moving around them so the girls could order.

"I don't like it either. An apple cider please," Rose ordered politely.

"Well, you two are crazy I'll take one," Melinda exclaimed.

After ordering their drinks they all took a seat by the window, each pair sitting opposite to the other. At least Scorpius could be thankful for that.

"So, a month in already huh?" Melinda began conversation.

"Yeah," they all murmured awkwardly, the conversation dying promptly.

"It's so great that you two can still be friends!" Melinda exclaimed attempting to resurrect it once more.

"What-do-you-mean?" Rose blurted with her arms folded over one another, her eyes glaring.

"You know, after the break up?" Melinda eyed them both, Jonathan crossed his arms defensively obviously not liking the thought.

Rose scoffed, actually scoffed. "We never dated. We're just friends, still are aren't we Scorp?"

_Scorp? _"Uh huh," he managed.

"Oh!" Melinda managed, "Well I guess that was a false rumour then. Heard so many things…" Her voice trailed like she'd remembered something else.

The drinks arrived in time for a well-deserved silence, Jonathan seemed to chug down his drink whilst everyone else sipped theirs quietly, Scorpius blowing on his tea in turn.

"So Advanced Potions, tough this year ey?" Jonathan interrupted the silence, nearly dropping his mug. Klutz!

"It seems fine to me, we managed to get our last one in order didn't we Rosie?" He teased through the steam of his cup, watching her redden at the nickname.

"I don't know that was all me back there." Rose exclaimed, setting her cup down.

"You? I'm practically a Potion Master legacy!" He boasted playfully.

"Oh and we both know how you love your legacy," she said saucily but it stopped him short. He got up and walked out.

"Scorpius! Please!" She chased him out and ran across to find him storming off away from both the school and the city's centre. "Why am I always chasing you and your hurt feelings? Scorpius!"

He didn't look back but continued down an offbeat track, quickening his stride.

"Scorpius please! Stop, I hate chasing you!" She cried, tripping over her feet. They were heading in the direction of the Shrieking Shack. Lovely.

Only when they were by its gates did he finally stop. "Rose. Please don't."

"Scorpius, you started it." She smiled in triumph, he had finally stopped running from her after all. "You know I hate being called Rosie!"

"What was that Scorp bullshit then? When have you ever called me that?" He pointed an arm out in exaggerated gesture.

She bit her lip guiltily, "That wasn't for you that was… I was mad at Melinda that's all. She was fishing for gossip on us and it made me mad. I over extended, I'm sorry." She extended her apology to a whine, hoping him to find her pathetically endearing. "Here," She stuffed a brown packet from her jumper pocket into his hands.

He opened the brown packet carefully, trying to suppress a smile when he did.

"They're not the same, but I thought they were a lot better than what you were using," She tried smiling, scratching at her hair as she did.

Inside the bag were four thin, small quills, each a bright colour, none of them green or grey or black. She didn't want them to appear Slytherin at all or remind him of his family at all. "I bought them today when Melinda was dragging you around the parchment."

He thanked her quietly and they turned to stare out at the Shrieking Shack, his smile slowly returning as he stuffed the brown packet into his own pocket.

"Can I ask you for something? Something more than quills I mean." Scorpius sounded serious again, quiet.

"Um, maybe. Depending on what it is I guess." She quivered against the rising wind, pulling the hood of her jumper over face.

"I want to see it," he whispered. "I want to see the scar."

She turned to him suddenly breathless.

"The scar you have because of me." He whispered quieter still.

"You can't see that, no one wants to see that." Rose whispered to him.

"I do. I'll. I'll make you show me or something I don't know. I need to know, I need to see it." Scorpius turned to her but hung his head inward so that she couldn't see his face over his growing fringe.

"Why?" She barely managed a gasp.

"I don't know, I don't- I just-"

"Okay!" She whispered leaning into him so that they were almost a foot away from each other. She pulled up from her jeans, taking her whole sweater off throwing it to the floor. She lifted up the shirt underneath and exposed her belly to him.

She watched him inhale suddenly, then let him trace the pinkish scar that rest there, back and forth, from just above her belly button down to her right hip.

"Apparently I was sloppy with the whole stabbing thing and the whole pulling it back out thing. They said that the aparating could have opened it more, they're not sure. Ssh! It's okay. You saved me," She hushed him as he reacted to the thought of hurting her more. "If you didn't, I would have died. They said there was something on the blade, which is why they couldn't heal the scar up completely. They really wanted to do a number on you it seems." She tried her best at sounding cheerful but it didn't help at all.

He glanced at her face for a second before turning away from her but something caught his eye. He closed the gap between them resting an arm around the back of her waist as if it were second nature to him. With their bodies pressed against each other he tugged at the chain hiding around her neck and under her shirt.

It was the necklace he'd given her last Christmas.

He looked at her questioningly.

"What?" She trembled. "Can I put my sweater back on again?" She tucked the little silver snake back into her shirt and picked her jumper off the ground.

He stood there looking at her as if he had a thousand questions and a thousand things to say but he appeared immobile.

_Fine. _She walked away refusing to look back at him.


	20. Chapter 20

"Oh fuck this!" He ran after he catching up with her easily, yanking her by the arm, pulling her into his.

"Scorpi-" She tried to scold him but couldn't as he pressed his mouth against her frozen lips. His body tingled as he made it his personal mission to warm those lips against his own, covering them smoothly, pressing into them and tugging at her bottom lip with both his own.

He let her go and took a breath, hoping he hadn't just crossed a line. Fuck no, it was worth it. He watched as she searched his face for a moment looking for meaning or purpose in his eyes. He let a quick smile flash across his face before closing the gap once more; kissing her harder than he had before. She gave no resistance and melted into it, pressing her petite frame into his. She returned his kisses with her own fervent ones, speckling them over his mouth in soft O's. He kiss broadened with a smile which collided unevenly on her own smile. He intertwined his fingers in hers and slowly broke apart from her, with great reluctance.

"I'm sorry, I-" He began but found himself still a little breathless.

"Well, I think I just figured out why I keep chasing you," She laughed, her breath making wisps of fog in the cold. "I wore the necklace the very moment it came and I haven't taken it off since. It even survived through that night together on the moor." She explained, pulling the necklace out for him to see. "I don't know I just…" She kissed him again teasing his bottom lip with the faintest tug of her teeth, releasing a small moan from his lips.

He snuck his hand up her sweater, till it reached her belly (over the shirt) and held it there. "I'm sorry I couldn't stop this." He removed the hand and used it to cup her face, "And I'm sorry I hadn't done this earlier." And once more Scorpius bent his head down for the divine pleasure of kissing Rose. His Rose.

Back in the Leaky Cauldron they both rediscovered their seats, their respective 'dates' had begun to worry but after finding them on the main road they corralled them into the Leaky Cauldron for another drink.

"Dare I ask what that was about then?" Jonathan huffed, picking up a newer ButterBeer.

"Just an old argument resurfacing," Rose smirked knowingly.

"It's okay though, we kissed and made up, all's fine now." He returned the playful gaze, to her alone and he noticed the faintest blush run across the bridge of her nose as she tucked her hair back behind her ear.

"Aw, see now that's friendship!" Melinda cheered intertwining her arm into Scorpius's, his teacup rattling at the force. For the sake of the day Scorpius let her and Rose calmly allowed it to happen.

They all chatted together casually, about classes and hopes for the future. Surprising considering their original stall for conversation. Even Rose surprised herself but not beating the crap out of Jonny when he did the ol' yawn and stretch, draping his arm around her neck possessively.

"Hey Jonny, how about we leave these two alone for a while, give them their privacy?" Rose announced mischievously, pulling Jonny out of his seat.

Jonny tried to chug the rest of his drink as she tore him away. Rose laughed, watching Scorpius's speculative glances from her way out the door.

"Aw not this shit again!" Albus cried from across the way, sixth year Abigail Ravenwood on his tail. "I thought we both decided this was a bad thing!"

"Excuse me?" Jonny spluttered. "I'm a what? You couldn't be meaning me could you?"

"Albus…" She warned before winking at him twice.

He just caught the signal, nodding slightly, understanding the hidden meaning. "I thought I told you to never date this scum again! You know what your father and mine think about this!" He roared, Abigail's eyes widened like bubbles trying to understand what was going on.

"Rose?" Jonny beseeched him. "Come on!"

"Sorry Jonny, Albus is right. I just can't do this again. I'm sorry!" She said matter-of-factly, before offering, "Friends?"

Jonny huffed, attempted several mumbles as a rebuttal before storming off back to Hogwarts. Taking a moment to enjoy Jonny's frustration.

"Great timing Albus that was truly divine!" She groaned. "I don't know how I got roped into that but you are my hero for getting rid of him! I thought I was going to have to do it myself."

"Rose and I came up with a system in third year. See I had a problem with dating the wrong people, people who were really only interested in my last name. Rose used to dump them for me, using a similar excuse you just heard now. We never did get to use it on that twat the first time did we though Rosie?" Albus explained to the very confused Abigail, who brightened immediately after being brought into the loop. Albus collected her into his arm and gave her a small kiss on the cheek, to which Abigail immediately brightened red, noticing Rose still standing there watching them.

"Alright, cheers," Rose smirked.

"Please don't get into anything like that again." Albus sighed, gesturing to the direction Jonny had vanished to.

"Trust me, I won't." She almost beamed.

Albus face contorted suddenly as if trying to catch something off about her but couldn't, they both departed but she felt a conversation was coming her way soon.

He stirred their cauldron the following Monday in Potions, whispering out of the corner of his mouth "He keeps looking over here like a lost crup pup, what did you do to him?"

She chuckled a little under her breath, adding mint and dragon scale. "You could just ask me… I got Albus to dump him for me as soon as we got out the door, relax." She snickered as Scorpius's shoulders instantly relaxed.

"I could ask you what happened after I left, alone with Melinda all day." She gave him a small unseen nudge in the ribs.

"Nothing happened, she talked about you a lot actually. We walked and talked about Herbology. I'm actually pretty sure she was platonic about it the whole time. I don't think she thought it was a date at all." He explained, measuring ground pepper into the mix.

"She was hanging off you the whole time," Rose exclaimed.

"Jealous!" Scorpius whispered into her ear, his deep tone making her flush and his proximity making her skin prickle with goose-bumps.

"I am not! I don't care, I still hate her!" Rose declared, recovering.

"Rose! Hush!" Scorpius laughed.

They worked through the potion together, brewing it and bottling it away for the professor to grade.

"Meet me?" He whispered under his breath. "Near the lake. After dinner?"

She collected her things up into her bag, avoiding his watchful eye. She nodded slightly, checking to see if he caught it. A bashful smile had crept across his face, yes then, he'd caught it.

Rose bounded onto the Slytherin table and bounced right into Alexandria who appeared to be grumpy.

"Hey darling!" Rose kissed Alexandria's round cheeks.

"Alright spit it out, there's something! There's gossip, I can smell it!" Daphne pointed passionately, catching Alexandria's distracted gaze out from wallowing.

"Alright. I know I've tried holding onto it, but I can't but you can't. Please just keep it quiet." Rose fumbled, smiling ridiculously at them.

The girls huddled in close so that no one around them could over hear.

"Okay, so you know that terrible accidental double date thing with Jonny?" Rose began.

"Please tell me Jonathan Vayne isn't bursting your seams!" Alex glowered.

"Oh my god, Scorpius! You and Scorpius!" Daphne burst suddenly, bouncing in her seat.

"Hey!" Rose cried.

"What?!" Alex sounded shocked. Rose nodded smirking. "Ugh! Thank fuck yes!" Alexandria roared in the Great Hall, slamming her hands down onto the table triumphantly (and loudly). "Yes!" She exclaimed against the cat-calls she got from around the room.

"Calm down!" Rose hissed, but it was no use.

"Either Alexandria Nott orgasmed over dinner tonight, or I'm guessing your friends know what transpired this weekend?" Scorpius called out as soon as Rose was in earshot. He'd been waiting up against a tree for her, watching the Lake ripple in the evening air.

"I thought I was going to turn into a tomato outright, so embarrassing." Rose replied, still bashful in the memory it seemed.

"Oh, I saw," He smirked. "You'd make a lovely tomato for what it's worth."

Rose stuck his tongue out at him before reaching him for an embrace. He felt her exhale into him and wondered if he'd been waiting to hold him as long as he had been.

"I felt like I'd never get to hold you again," He admitted in a whisper. "It might have been a dream, you know how realistic our dreams can be." He felt her tense at the mention of dreaming but watched her reach up for his mouth, landing a kiss clumsily on his jaw. Oh Merlin!

"You'll be pleased to know it wasn't a dream. I'm right here with you," She whispered into rising wind as she retook her position with her head against his chest.

"Do you think, that last year was meant to happen?" Rose began after a moment of thought. "I mean, it was horrible for both of us and I nearly died but here we are. Is this a byproduct of last year, or is it all a byproduct of fate?"

"Rose. I- I don't think-, I think I've always had the ability to fall for you." He said carefully, "I think that whatever this is, has nothing to do with anyone else except for you and I."

"Such wise words…" She trailed into a kiss, the kind of kiss that burned his insides awake. "And whatever this is?" She eyed him, holding his jaw in place with both hands, "Is whatever we choose it to be."

"Whatever you choose it to be Rose, I'm already yours. Tell me where to stand and I'll stand there." His head felt light against her touch, her fingers exploring the stubble that was coming through.

"I didn't even know you did facial hair Scorpius," She whispered.

"I don't, that's kinda the point." He smirked, holding her closer, lifting her up against him. "Let's not worry about exams and things, lets just stay here and do this." He whispered before kissing her once more, the kiss deepening against the cold.

"Scorpius, I think… I think we need to keep this a secret. Not from our friends or anything, just from the school." She studied him with worry, "I'm not ashamed to be with you, or to be your girlfriend (they both smiled at that). I'm just afraid of what people will do to us because of who we are. Last year.."

"Ssh!" Scorpius squeezed into her, feeling warm from the moment. She was right, he had forgotten for a moment that he was a Malfoy and she were a Weasley. "We'll keep it quiet, I promise. I won't let anyone hurt you."

"Hurt us!" She corrected with vehemence. The fire in her blue eyes startled him and his insides felt like they'd fall straight through him. He nodded and pulled her head to sit on his chest once more, they rested that way for a while until the night got dark and the air brought a terrible chill.

Scorpius was tired and worn out by the time he reached his bed, but he was joyously happy. Until he found his own note.

YOU CAN IMAGINE WHAT BAD THINGS MIGHT HAPPEN TO HER IF WE DON'T GET OUR WAY. WHAT HAPPENED LAST YEAR?


	21. Chapter 21

Hermoine Weasley was sitting in her study, books upon books at her disposal. The night was just settling in around her and she felt quite alone with her husband off on assignment with Harry. She'd brewed some herbal tea a while back and found it stewed enough for consumption. She began to pour the tea into her favourite cup when a shining light beamed through the room, settling just in front of her a small fox patronus.

"_There has been another note, sent to myself. They threatened Rose. Can you come?" _The Patronus seemed to say, the foxes face unmoving.

Rising into action she sent her own Patronus on ahead to the school, to Mcgonagall. She collected the notes, her notes on the notes and stuffed them into a bag, along with a few important books and set off for the living room fireplace. She threw down the Floo powder "Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry."

There was only ever one fireplace open to Floo travel and Minerva Mcgonagall welcomed her as she stepped with practised step into it, the Principal's Office.

"Minerva, I see you got my message."

"Indeed Mrs. Weasley, I take it the Malfoy boy knows to come here?" The Headmistress asked in

her own regal way.

"Yes I believe so." Hermoine started pulling things from her bag, throwing the small threatening notes out onto the Headmistresses table. "These have been sent to Rose, either by owl or delivered straight into her room. Each gets more angrier, more demanding."

"And Mr. Malfoy's involvement in this?" The old professor read each as she collected them, concern sprouting across her face.

"He was the one who notified me of them, she was trying to keep it quiet it seems," Hermoine explained anxiety coursing through her. Her child was yet again in danger.

"I was sent this one, tonight!" Scorpius announced his arrival at the door, note in hand. "It's the first I'm aware of that's been threatening."

"Albus, can you find Celeste and get her to retrieve Miss Rose Weasley from her dorm?" Headmistress Mcgonagall asked of the sleeping portrait of Albus Dumbledore. Dumbledore rousing from his slumber nodded before swiftly disappearing from view.

Scorpius handed the note to Mcgongall and watched as she read it, shifted her glasses in astonishment.

"I've run a few different spells and tests to see if I could trace the magic of the person who sent it. Whoever sent it used to magical means to transport the notes and whoever wrote them was not a registered criminal, not even a criminal on watch by the ministry." Hermoine explained, taking Scorpius's note from the Headmistress for her one examination.

"Well, could it be a student?" Minerva asked, both she and Hermoine ignoring Scorpius for the moment. "Bullying has occurred within the school before. Something you know first hand if I'm not mistaken. The threats could be empty, meant to scare maybe?"

"Hogwarts _does _thrive on gossip," Hermoine conceded.

Scorpius's concern resonated across his face and Hermoine couldn't miss it. Nor could she ignore the way her daughter brightened up when entered the room, her gaze falling upon Scorpius's above all else in the room.

"Mom?" Rose stepped further into the room. "Have you found something?"

"That will be all Professor Coral," Minerva called from her desk. All four of them waited until the other professor had left the room before turning back to the matter at hand. "Miss Weasley, why was I not informed of the situation earlier?"

"I-I guess I didn't take it seriously." Rose seemed nervous, "At first."

"And you Mr. Malfoy?"

"Scorpius," Rose corrected.

"Ah yes, Scorpius, why is it that Mrs. Weasley here was informed before I? Your Headmistress?" Mcgonagall grilled them. Hermoine had to admit that Scorpius stood resilient against her questioning, and if she looked carefully (which, of course she did) she noticed he had his body slightly angled in front of her.

"I can't answer that, I trust her to look after Rose, I guess." He explained, glancing at Rose quickly and in that moment Hermoine saw what she had suspected for a while. "She's a Ministry Level Researcher but she's also Rose's mother. If it wasn't a bigger deal than it is, she still needed to know!"

"What's going on Scorpius?" Rose touched his shoulder and Hermoine handed the latest note to her, watching her daughters face unravel at it's insides.

"I should have just told them everything when they were still using owl's," Rose palmed her face in despair. "What are we going to do?"

Scorpius whispered something in her ear and she nodded at whatever secret they'd shared.

"Maybe that idea isn't too bad?" Something just clicked, "If all they're after is the information about last year, then maybe we give it to them. They either back off or they take a step in a different direction." Hermoine explained, Rose glanced about them all her gaze landing on her mothers.

"How?"

"Daily Prophet would be the widest net. Just a small review of the Auror's work taking them down, and a small mention of their involvement in the school." Hermoine theorized out loud, "Though that might compromise the school's position.

"I have seen these wall tumble down and raised them from the ashes myself Miss Granger, you of all people should know, Hogwarts will survive." Mcgonagall explained, her conviction so strong that Hermoine didn't dare correct her last name. "My only request is that you wait till the Christmas break, so that the children can outlast any backlash this might raise. It will be bad enough when they return but till then they can enjoy the solace in their homes."

And so it was agreed.


	22. Chapter 22

It'd had been a long semester and Christmas had sprang upon her just as quick as it had last year. They got through the weeks together in the library, focusing on assignments whilst holding hands under the tables. Each note got more aggressive and threatening and both Scorpius and Rose had reached their limits, tension mounting between them.

"I'm supposed to be protecting you from this harassment!" He yelled.

"Protecting me? Like you protected my last year?" She yelled back at him, stomping on the ground like a petulant child would. "Look how well that went!"

Taken aback he was lost for words, "I tried goddamnit. No one asked you to be so stupid! Why couldn't you just do what you were supposed to do and kill the slimey Slytherin boy?"

"I'm the Slytherin! Not you! Or do you forget" Rose barked, "It's me who sleeps under grey and green! Do us Slytherins disgust you that much?" She knew she was being dramatic somewhere in the back of her mind.

"Rose." He warned.

"Don't you Rose me!" She crossed her arms, Scorpius folding his in return. "I don't understand how a great guy like you could hate his father so much! So much everything that connects you to him disgusts you!"

Scorpius took a beat, his anger subsiding. "I don't hate my father."

She considered him cautiously, waiting for him to divulge further.

"I love him actually," he plopped down onto a rock beside the lake. _Their spot. _"You know he was younger than we were when he made most his mistakes? I don't hate him, I know I get mad at him. Its not him really, its everything else I hate."

She took her place in between his knees and held his sunken head against her belly, running her fingers soothingly through his silvery hair.

"You may not have legions of fans like my cousins do, but you have a few solid friends. Melinda, Don?" She whispered, "You have me."

"Sometimes I feel like I don't deserve you," His eyes shone like mercury once more as they sought her out for support, help and guidance.

"Sometimes?" Was all she managed to say under such a gaze.

"Yeah, other times the Malfoy ego comes out and says 'Of course I do'," he laughed. Feeling better, she hoped.

"Come on," She offered him a hand up, "Let's find a dark corridor to make out in or something!"

Scorpius finally laughed and their argument was soon forgotten.

"You're dating Scorpius Malfoy aren't you?" Albus began his interrogation as soon as the train left Hogwarts station. Lily Potter bouncing beside him, Roxanne and Fred Jnr. listening in as soon as the promise of drama became apparent.

"It's okay if you are," Hugo promised beside her, his nose deep in a copy of _The Revised Edition: Quidditch Through the Ages._

"Yeah Rosie, it's okay, you can tell us," Lily smiled.

She hadn't realized it mattered to her but it was Albus's reaction she waited for most. He gave nothing and she debated quickly. Wasn't it just last year that they'd argued over this same thing, didn't she defend her right to date Scorpius even though she wasn't at the time?

"You can't stop me Albus," Rose crossed her arms over defensively.

"Didn't say I would," He mimicked her arm movements, either in defensiveness or playfulness she couldn't tell.

"I mean it Albus, you try anything-"

"I won't. I just wanted the truth." His eyes beseeched hers, "The whole Vayne thing, this isn't like that is it?"

She chuckled, "Double date gone wrong. Pretty sure Scorpius and I both agreed to our dates just to be close to each other!"

Her Weasley counterparts ooh'd and ahh'd, whilst Lily practically squealed. Albus seemed stoic against all the noise. "You've been together this whole time?"

She nodded guiltily.

"Is he serious about you? I swear Rose, if he-" Albus began but Lily had thrown a silencing spell (wandlessly!) and he was now scolding 'on mute'.

"Let's get him to sit with us!" Lily beamed, "Then Albus can judge for himself."

All in the cabin watched the muted Albus who only nodded in agreement.

Rose sent her Patronus, a small hound dog, down the length of the train to look for Scorpius. Nerves bundled within her as soon as she released her magic. Secret rendezvous aside what if he didn't show up to meet her family? She knew he didn't like who his family was, but could he handle the scrutiny of hers? What if he didn't even try?

He appeared cautiously, looking as though he'd walked the plank to his death.

"Sit," She gestured for him to sit between herself and Hugo, whom already said he was onboard with the idea. He did as instructed, saying nothing only nodding a 'hello' to everyone in the cabin.

"What's all this then?" Scorpius couldn't help ask after all the awkward staring.

"Hi, Lily." Lily introduced herself, "Albus here asked Rose about you, and we've decided for his nosy benefit to invite you here formally for an introduction and so that Albus can get over his issues!"

"His issues?" Scorpius wavered.

"Oh, you know, the usual, what are your intentions with my cousin? I will perform unholy acts of violence if you hurt her! The usual!" Lily cried, all too enthusiastically.

"And why isn't he saying all this?" Scorpius raised a brow at him, noticing Albus's obvious silence.

"Oh! I put a silencing hex on him. He has a terrible predisposition for sticking his feet in his mouth. Don't worry it's better this way," Lily pinched Albus's cheek lovingly but Albus grimaced snarling with empty venom, rubbing his cheek like a wounded animal.

"Okay… Shoot I guess?" Scorpius turned to Rose for help but she shrugged, if it had to happen it had to happen.

"Okay, we'll try a lightening round. I'll ask you questions, you answer them. Simple!" Lily was enjoying this too much.

"Seriously?" Rose asked, concerned.

Lily shot her a scathing look, the kind she knew she'd learnt of her mother, Rose's own Aunt Ginny.

"Let's begin!" Lily chirped once more. "When did you first lay eyes upon our lovely Rose?"

"Lil!" Rose whined, falling back into her seat as Lily returned her scorn.

"Diagon Alley, few weeks before first year of school began. Didn't know it was her though, she was wearing a pink sundress."

_What? _She shot a glance at Lily, who promptly ignored her.

"When did you first kiss our Rose?" Did Lily have these questions sitting on a clipboard or something somewhere?

"First Hogsmeade weekend this year," Scorpius answered without hesitation, obviously determined to pass whatever test this was. Albus however muttered mutely at his response.

"When did you first want to?"

Scorpius stopped, his ears turning a little red she noticed. He leaned in with his elbows resting on his knees, gestured for Lily to lean in as well before whispering his answer.

"Hey! You can't do that!" Rose argued.

"Yes, yes he can." Lily said triumphantly before turning back to Scorpius, "Acceptable answer let's continue."

Rose rolled her eyes and slunk back into her seat, flailing her arms into Hugo, who nudged them off with brotherly irritance.

"How many girlfriends have you had before Rose?" Lily put on her 'play' scowl as she asked this question awaiting the answer, probably deciding on the punishments his answer would receive.

Scorpius glanced back at Rose and back at Lily, "Can I whisper this one as well?"

"Nope!" Lily announced with a degree of volume that peeked the other Potter-Weasley's attention. "I think Rose should know this one."

Scorpius hung his head defeatedly before murmuring, "MMone.."

"One?" Lily cried?

_One other, who was this girl? It was a girl right? _

"Who is she?!" Lily demanded, but Scorpius would not lift his head, instead he pushed his face further into his hands.

"No, I said none. There were none beside her okay not many people are interested in dating a ex-Death Eaters son! Let's just drop it!" Scorpius dug his face back into his palms once more and a light sort of warm feeling glower within Rose.

"Alright, alright. When did you first realize you were in love with our Rosie?" The others weren't listening, Albus's voice had come back and they were all laughing at the prospect of Scorpius being with no one else, and all that implied. Only Rose and Lily were still listening as Scorpius answered:

"I don't know, it's just been a gradual thing."

"What?!" Rose heard herself shout. The cabin silencing upon her outburst. "You love me?"

Albus couldn't decide who to stare at Scorpius or herself. Scorpius kept his gaze from hers, was he hiding from her now?

"When were you going to tell me?" She couldn't get her voice to calm down.

"I don't know," his face was back in his palms now.

"Boxers or briefs?" Lily chirped through the awkward silence.

"Briefs, wait, what does that have to do with anything?" Scorpius whined and the cabin returned to laughter.


	23. Chapter 23

Christmas Eve was the restless of all her sleeps in a long while. He loved her? He loved her. She'd been thinking about it all week. Just. Oh Merlin she could kill Lily. Was he even ready to admit that to her? They'd only been together since the start of the year. Okay so there was all that time last year, which made her feel… something. What if he didn't want Rose to know? She wondered how he was, he felt like he was on the other side of the world. Knowing his family he probably could be halfway around the world over the holidays.

The article about last year and 'the Cult of Rebirth' came out the very day they got back from Hogwarts and as a result the Weasley troupe hadn't stepped a single foot outside. She wondered how Scorpius was taking the exposure. It wouldn't feel good to be the reason to bring his family name back in the limelight for sure. She hoped he was okay. He hadn't written much, but that might have just been after the shock declaration from the train ride home.

Was it really a shock though? She felt like a part of her knew, knew as soon as he'd kissed her that he was committing himself to whatever feelings he had possessed for her. Merlin she missed those kisses. She missed holding his hand, she missed venting her problems at him, she missed watching him smile. What she wouldn't do for a muggle-type phone call, if only the Malfoy's had a telephone. She wondered if she could persuade Scorpius to get a cell.

Christmas morning was like all other, the Potters came, this year even Uncle George's lot came round. Still no Uncle Bill and Aunt Fleur though, still in France with the Delacours' it seems.

Her cousin's winked at her throughout the day, as if they were all apart of a great conspiracy against their parents. Rose just wanted to claw her own eyes out, of course it was their fault for bringing this up. What if Scorpius resented her for not declaring her own love? Should she have? It didn't really feel like a declaration from him, oh no, what if it was?

"Hey Rosie," Lily leaned across the sofa chairs arm.

"How's it going traitor?" Rose asked, feeling a little too melodramatic. I should reel it in. It may not be that bad!

"Attention, people, usually we do presents after lunch but ugh, I have one small gift to give out first before lunch starts!" Rose's mother announced, glancing at both her muggle watch and the grandfather clock mounted to the wall just above the fireplace (the one Grandma Molly had given them).

Suddenly the Floo roared into life and her mother's featured eased a little. Out jumped:

"Scorpius?!" She'd risen from her chair suddenly as her pale haired boyfriend came tumbling out covered in soot.

"I heard the Malfoys were planning to be away this Christmas and decided to invite Scorpius to stay so that they could keep to their arrangements." Her mother explained as Scorpius offered everyone an awkward hand wave.

He was wearing black jeans and a white button down underneath his dark blue robes.

"I don't get it, you said that there was a present for something, what this got to do with anything?"

Everyone, absolutely everyone in the room looked at her then. "It was for you Rose." Her mother smiled softly in the offering, and Rose in the face of all her family drained of all colour, panicked and ran upstairs to her room.

They knew, they all knew! If they didn't know, they knew now. Oh Merlin's beard her Dad was going to kill him! Didn't their father's hate each other or something back in the day? What if they did something? Oh Merlin's balls, what if he interrogated him like Albus did? What if he accused them of having sex!? Rose would really die! Die? "Oh my gods Scorpius!" She breathed in all her panic and instead of settling down and crying into her pillow like her anxious panic insisted she should, she opened her door to run down there and rescue him.

"Rose?" Scorpius stood behind her door with outstretched 'knock'. "Your mother sent me up here to get you. Are you okay?"

"Oh Scorpius?" She pulled him into her hugged him before throwing him into her room and slamming the door shut. "You're okay right?" She didn't know why but she checked him over a little as if to find him brutally beaten or scratched to death. "What are you doing here?"

"You're Mum invited me," he looked puzzled but Rose didn't care. She threw herself against him, kissing his mouth frantically. He gave in a little, his arms wrapping around her before withdrawing to whisper in her ear, "Are you okay Rose?"

Ugh she loved it when he whispered. "Did you know you're devastatingly sexy when you whisper in my ear. My whole body buzzes from the neck down when you do." Rose kissed his mouth again, trailing kisses down to his neck.

"Rose," He gave a throaty growl. "What are you doing?"

"I missed you, I'm pathetic I know but what you said in the train and then I realized that I didn't say anything back and that you might hate me or be mad. What if you didn't talk to me again? What if you decided you couldn't be with me, when I'm pretty sure that I am falling in love with you. I just-"

"Rose, ssh!" Scorpius laughed, patting down her hair trying to calm her manic state back down. "It's okay. I'm not leaving you and I missed you too. As much as I love you, I think we should head down before your parents come looking for you and find you clawing my clothes off."

Rose laughed into his robes, tears she hadn't realized were there weld in her eyes. "I love you Scorpius. I do. These past few months, have been the best ones I think I've ever had." She talked into his robes but he understood, squeezing her tighter and allowing them to stand there for a moment longer.

"Not that I wouldn't love you to claw my clothes off, just saying.." Scorpius teased, but Rose swatted his shoulder and melted back into the hug.

Her mother washed the dishes and Rose dried them feeling strangely guilty, everyone was gathered in the dining room still, listening to her fathers animated stories about work.

"How did you know?" She asked in a low tone.

"Hhm?" Her mother prefered to wash dishes by hand, it was strange but Rose grew up to like it. Drying them the muggle way at her side.

"How did you know?" Rose repeated.

Her mother chuckled, laugh lines staining her face. "Oh Rose, I'm not blind. It was obvious, on both of you, even last year. I'm just glad I noticed that something to developed between you."

"Mum," Rose cried voice breaking. She dropped her wash towel and her mother put down the scourer. "He loves me. (Tears burning their way through her eyes) On the train home, Lily tricked him to letting it slip that he loved me."

Her mother thought on this, "And do you love him?"

Rose nodded letting a tear trickle down her face.

"And did you tell him?"

"Yeah, just before dinner upstairs," Rose wiped the tear away.

"Oh that makes a lot more sense, you were kinda off this week." Her mother pulled her into a hug pensively.

"Mum I feel like such an idiot." Rose laughed. "Crying like this. Freaking out like this!"

"Love makes fools of us all," Her mother laughed underneath her embrace. "Trust me honey, trust me!"

"Am I interrupting?" Scorpius stopped short at the island bench. His robe long removed exposing the shirt underneath. "It's getting a bit noisy in there was wondering if I could help out. Maybe take over the washing?"

Her mother gave in and gave way for Scorpius, who rolled up his sleeves and set to work with the remaining dishes.

"I didn't know you could clean!" Rose teased, hoping he wouldn't notice the redness around her eyes.

"Rose! My family were apart of the House Elf Abolishment Petitions, which you should know fed through the Abolishment Laws. There hasn't been a House Elf in my parents house since before the second Wizarding War." He blurted out triumphantly, "How else do you think my house gets cleaned?"

"I don't know? Maids?" She shot back.

He chuckled turning back to the dishes.

"Hey, I just wanted to say sorry about the meltdown earlier, I wasn't expecting… well this. Or anything. If you'd told me a year ago, you'd be standing in my kitchen doing dishes with me, I would have laughed you off but, here you are."

"You're mother is a very perceptive woman you know," Scorpius handed her a plate. "Said she knew how I felt about you last year before we were even kidnapped. I don't think even I had myself figured out by that stage."

"Hey, they don't call her the brightest witch of her age for nothing!" Rose exclaimed.

"That sounds like a lot of pressure to live up to don't it?" Scorpius sighed, staring out the kitchen window.

They played charades, exploding snap and wizards chess, everyone laughed and talked and played. The adults cracked open some of her father's Firewiskey, James Potter boldly demanding a serve. Which his mother promptly denied him, saying that if he wanted to drink he could do it on his own terms, in his own flat on his Quidditch off season.

"It's not that you're not old enough to drink, it's just as a retired player I understand how strick our dietary requirements are!" Ginny Weasley explained.

"Hey Gin, remember that time before the kids, in Yorkshire-"

"Harry!" Ginny growled, raising her wand.

"Bat Boogey Hex," Rose's father whispered into her Uncle Harry's ear.

"Hey Lil," Rose pulled her cousin away by the sleeve of her Weasley jumper, a golden 'L' plastered across it, and into her mother's study, "Hey, can I ask you what his answer was to that question, back on the train? The one he whispered to you"

"Gee Rose, nosy!" Lily grumbled, her stomach overfull from treacle tart. "Okay fine, I get it but don't tell him I told you okay! I'm serious, stays between us!"

Rose eyed her with raised brows.

"Ugh, okay. So after asking him, when he first realized he wanted to kiss you he said, although he was too young to kiss anyone, the day he saw you in Diagon Alley, he very much wanted to go over and talk to you and maybe hold your hand." Lily replied monotonously, "Now isn't that the sweetest shit ever?"

"That sounds like bull!" Rose exclaimed.

"Eh! It sounded like a nice story to me! Regardless, it was what he said." Lily shrugged before running off and joining Hugo on the couch.

"If you really wanted the answer to that question you could have just asked me," Rose jumped a mile at Scorpius's voice behind her.

"Merlin Scorpius! You scared me!" Rose stilled her heart with the pressure of her hand. "I didn't see you there!"

"The night we fell asleep together, I actually meant to kiss you. We were in close proximity I thought maybe… I dunno. We were so tired from the nightmares that point that I doubt I could have scratched my own arse." Scorpius folded his hands behind him, leaning against the grain of the doorway he'd come to stand in opposite her. "Was so tired I just passed right ou-"

She pressed a chaste kiss against his lips, her eyes closing peacefully into it. They held the kiss for a moment, until a few 'whoops' and wolf-whistles reached them from the loungeroom. They broke apart bashfully.


	24. Chapter 24

Riding the Hogwarts Express back to school was like waking up from a dream, gradually leaking back into reality.

Scorpius had stayed the rest of the holidays and although he got several 'talks' with nearly every male member of her extended family (Hugo refrained from 'such nuisances' -Lily was more than happy to play the part) the holidays went on without incident.

They sat together on the train (arriving to the platform together had already given their secret away!) and napped in each others arms, Scorpius's white blonde hair a sight amongst the sea of Weasley red and Potter black. Actually it was just Albus who had the Potter black, Lily's dark auburn was still too red to be anything other than Weasley-ish.

They rested there and missed the food cart, missed Hugo and Fred Jr argue about Quidditch teams and didn't even make up to Roxanne's incessant giggling. It wasn't until another couple sought them out at their cabin door that they came to, hands intertwined.

"Ugh hello." Don said nervously, "I heard the gossip going round. Heard you two finally came out about your relationship."

"We thought we might too," Alexandria sighed. "At least to you two that is."

"Don, seriously? This is the girl you've been sneaking around with?" Scorpius exclaimed. "Alexandria Nott! Actually that makes a lot of sense."

"Alex! You didn't even tell me you were seeing someone!" Rose rose from her seat, her cousins prattle dimming into a whisper around her. "How did Daphne not sniff this out?"

"Give me some credit Rose, some of us Slytherin's give into the predilection for sneakiness." Alexandria smiled, the kind of smile that Rose hadn't ever seen on her face before. Alexandria looked softer and maybe even a little older too.

"Oh my goodness!" Rose covered her mouth with her hand, "I'm such a bad friend. How didn't I notice all this time. I was so caught up in my own relationship!"

"Actually Rose, I think you'll find they've been together a lot longer than us," Scorpius pointed at them before stretching his arms out after the nap.

"Sorry Rose." Alexandria looked physically pained. "It's just last year with the dreaming thing, I was worried so I started doing some research. And well, Donald helped me with it. He was worried for Scorpius ("No I wasn't!" from Don) so we bumped into each other and got to talking and spent a bit of time together. And then, yeah." Alexandria squeezed at Don's hand after explaining. Rose speechless just flailed her hands helplessly in the air and sat back down next to Scorpius.

"Wanna sit down?" Rose offered.

"It looks a bit packed in here, catch up with you two later maybe?" Don offered.

"Wow, I just realized Daphne's going to kill you. Withholding information. Man are you going to get a reaming!" Rose sang, Alexandria followed her boyfriend down the carriage but not before turning back poking out her tongue and shooting Rose the middle finger.

"Tell me that wasn't strange," Rose nudged Scorpius, whom had leaned back and shut his eye, returning to his sleep.

"I think they're cute!" Lily announced.

"They look happy," Scorpius said with one eye open. Rose kissed him in response.

When they got off the train everything was different. After that it was all whispers and looks, pointing and stares. A couple of ooh's and disdainful looks later and they were riding back to the castle, separately, just in time to dinner.

"I can't believe you hid the fact you were dating Alexandria Nott from me for so long." Scorpius punched Woods affectionately. "I'm kinda impressed."

"You're telling me." Woods laughed stuffing chicken covered gravy into his mouth.

"Looks like she's getting an earful from Zabini over there," Scorpius laughed. Both boys turned to look over at the two girls arguing. Daphne was talking Alexandria's ear off, looks like Rose was right. Wait, Rose. Where was Rose? "Excuse me."

Scorpius didn't care how stupid it seemed, he didn't care what it looked like. He had a bad feeling as soon as he realized Rose hadn't made it to the feast. "Hey, you seen Rose." He interrupted them over at the Slytherin table.

Both girls froze and if startled to see him there, he could almost watch their brains tick over as they realized something was wrong. "She isn't here. I can't remember her saying where she was going. One minute we were heading toward to the hall, the next…" Alexandria trailed off.

Daphne looked blank.

Rose was missing.

When Rose opened her eyes she saw only darkness. Out of nausea she became sick on the floor beside her. She must have been knocked out with _some_ spell. Her hands were magically bound.

"FUCK!" She yelled, struggling against her bonds. She grunted and struggled against them until her frustration was overtaken with panic. She was too frazzled to focus her magic, she'd never been great at wandless magic. Rose specialized in tricky, well thought out magic, things with preciseness and not focus of will. "Oh fuck, this can't be happening, not again."

She felt sweat trickle down her forehead, she screamed once more in frustration.

"_Phoooow!_" She breathed, time to focus on the bind, focus on the magic there.

"So you're awake. Good…" A voice churned through the darkness, hard to place. "Why couldn't you have played along?" The voice was pleading. "You couldn't have just let me have it? What am I going to do now?!" She voice yelled.

"Melinda?"


	25. Chapter 25

"_Melinda?_ What the fuck?" Rose spat. "It was all you?"

"Why is that so surprising?" Melinda spoke from the darkness before whispering "_Lumos!"_

"What?" Was all Rose could think to say as Melinda's wand tip lit with light, casting a glow over her captors face.

"It was going to be the perfect story, hushed up and everything! It would have been the start to my promising career! An internship with the Daily Prophet! I've been scrambling all holidays thanks to you, I'll be left writing for Gossip Witch Magazine's for the rest of my life! All you had to do was tell me your story!"

"The article. Over the holidays, you've tied me up, over an article?" Rose snapped.

"This is my future Rose! Some of us have to work hard to get where we want to go. I had it all lined up with Skeeter, all I had to do was bring her this story and I would get my foot in the door next year." Melinda panted.

"You've been harassing me all year for your career! If you had any idea what happened to me and Scorpius last year you won't have done this!" Rose yelled.

"Yes and now everyone knows." Melinda grimaced, pacing around Rose. "I just needed you to know what you'd done. You really should be thinking more about your future Rose. What are you going to do next year when Scorpius is off working at the Ministry?"

"Huh?"

"You don't know?" Melinda sounded confused. "Scorpius has been telling me how he wants to become a researcher like your mother. Says he wants to specialize in Herbology. Discover new plants and their uses and things. Really Rose what is it that you two do together?"

Rose felt hurt. She hadn't known. She didn't know what to do with her future, she didn't even bother to ask Scorpius about his plans.

"That has nothing to do with this!" Rose deflected, "You have been sending threatening notes to me and Scorpius all year! Do you know how freaked out you've made us?!"

"Me and Scor-," Melinda began. "I never sent Scorpius the notes, why would I? He's a great guy, I really do need help with my exam scores. He'd been a blessing for my test scores..."

"Then who?..."

"Jonathan!" Melinda exclaimed suddenly.

"Jonathan?" Rose was confused now, "What does he have to do with anything?"

"Oh, he was supposed to get close to you for me, see if you'd tell him the story first hand." Melinda continued to pace, chewing at her nails in thought.

"But why would he?..." Then it hit her, "FUCK! It wasn't Melissa or a Monica, it was you! He dated you last year! Fuck, how was I not paying enough attention to that? Oh my god, he's your boyfriend! You're dating Jonathan"

"You really don't listen to gossip huh, being a Weasley and all." Melinda teased.

"This doesn't explain why he would send threatening notes to Scorpius, he threatened me in those notes. If you didn't know then why-" Rose began.

It was Melinda's turn to swear now, "Asshole!" She dropped the enchantments instantly, darkness disappearing and Rose realized she was really in Hagrid's old hut. Melinda dropped the binds on her hand and Rose rubbed her wrists absent mindedly.

"Mel?" Rose watched as the other girl's body shook with anger. "Care to share?"

"Jonny loves me, he really does okay? He'd do anything for me but for a long time I've suspected that he kinda still feels possessive over you." Melinda explained annoyed.

"What?" Rose squeaked.

"You're Rose Weasley, you're a mark on his belt. You're that famous ex of his. You're apart of the Golden Trio kids. You mean a lot to people who supported the Chosen One in the second wizarding war. You guys are still beacons of hope." Melinda was rambling but it eerily made sense. Jonathan was always caught up with her fame more than her, it was one of the reasons she had broke up with him in the first place.

"That is nuts. We're just kids." Rose spat.

Melinda rolled her eyes. "You're parents were just kids and they managed to achieve a great deal alongside Harry Potter." Melinda explained. "The point is, is that we both cosied up to you to for information. Jonny got a bit upset when we realized you two were into each other instead of us. It's why he had to back off."

"Scorpius? He wants to hurt Scorpius?" Rose breathed,

"You know people see your boyfriend and only see his father in his wake." Melinda sighed.

"Would he hurt Scorpius?" Rose cried.

Melinda thought for a moment before her eyes went wide. "Maybe, yes..."

Together they ran.

"They may say I am not good enough for Rose but if they knew about you two, they would skin you alive!" Jonathan Vayne was dripping with malice. He'd brought his potions kit and was now skillfully slicing along Scorpius's skin with his small blade. _Great I'm a fucking Bezoar!_

Scorpius grunted in pain, biting his tongue in response. "Fuck you Vanye."

"You won't be fucking a thing once I'm done with you!" _Lovely. _Scorpius could already feel the bruises Vayne had inflicted earlier, his jaw in particular was aching.

Jonathan stuck the small blade into his chest this time and Scorpius watched the blood pour down his bare chest.

The pain was unbearable but he didn't think it had pierced his lung, after a moment or so he blacked out…

...

"Stay awake you shit! I want you to feel everything!" Jonathan looked insane, his face was creased with madness and sweating, he mumbled something under his breath and flicked his wand. Scorpius probably wasn't going to pass out again.

"YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO DIE LAST YEAR! NOT HER!" Jonathan screamed. "THE LIGHT IS ALWAYS MEANT TO EXTINGUISH THE DARK!" _The Rebirth Cult?_

"Why didn't you die?" Jonathan hissed a whisper so close to Scorpius's ear that he started to wondered if he could have bitten Vayne if he weren't restrained so tightly up against that tree.

"Believe me Vayne, if I had my way I would have died!" Scorpius hissed through his teeth, the pain making him feel dizzy. "I would have died before anything ever happened to her!"

"SHUT UP!" Jonny slapped him. "SHUT UP! SHUT UP! SHUT UP! SHUT UP! SHUT UP!"

Jonathan littered Scorpius with more slashed, they were shallow but gave a stink of pain regardless. Scorpius yelled a guttural cry.

"She is too holy for a snake like you! You have tainted her with your touch and your falseness. You cannot love her! She is too pure for you!" Jonathan cried out, waving his wand in Scorpius's face.

Scorpius said nothing, maybe a part of him still wondered if what Vayne was saying were true. Could he really be worth her time? He couldn't even get over his hang ups with his father's reputation, what good was he to Rose? He couldn't save her last year. He didn't even know where she was now-

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Scorpius cried as Jonathan pulled a different blade from his pack and stuck it into his chest, just below his ribs.

Scorpius would have passed out, he couldn't. He vomited on himself, and tears ran down his face in streams, he screamed until it became a hollow empty noise that choked into the back of his throat.

"_Stupefy!_" A voice called. A flash of light consumed him. The binds that held him to the tree gave out and all Scorpius could do was crash to the dirt ground. Whispers enveloped him and drifted quickly into safe unconsciousness. Shadows moved about him and then there was only blackness. He was dead at last.


	26. Chapter 26

Rose figured that without Melinda Webb's help she never would have found Scorpius's lifeless body in the Forbidden Forest. So she refrained from indicating Melinda in her own capture.

Both girls let the blame fall solely on Jonathan Vayne, who as it turned out had a step-uncle whom had killed himself as the result of the Rebirth Cult's investigation the year before. Vayne himself was trying to resurrect the Rebirth Cult all on his own, by doing what the previous members had not. Kill Scorpius Malfoy. Melinda, who had been completely unaware of her boyfriends intentions and wrong doings, promptly slapped him and broke up with him before watching him get dragged away to Azkaban.

Rose didn't even mind that Melinda used the story of Jonathan Webb being the undercover cultist (who initiated the magic between Rose and Scorpius last year) to regain her place at the Prophet.

Rose's mother had always suspected a closer source of the dreams magical power but after assuming a long distance magic to be in play, or even a magical anchor (like hair samples), ignored the notion. Hermione Weasley felt guilty. She was usually more thorough and it had cost Scorpius dearly.

Scorpius hadn't died. He had a few broken ribs and a punctured lung, a broken jaw and many, many lacerations. The suspension spell that had kept Scorpius awake during the pain had done a number on him though and the medi-witches found it hard to wake him up from his coma-like state.

It'd been two weeks and Rose still hadn't left his side. She didn't care about school or about her grades. She should care but she didn't.

"Rose honey," Her mother appeared behind her suddenly, stroking her back, handing her a cup of coffee. "Here take this."

Rose sat on the chair beside his bed, waiting, leaning her face into her palm. She held the coffee cup but didn't drink it, finally resting it on his bedside table.

"Rose," another voice called. It was sweet and feminine and at once Rose realized it was Astoria Malfoy, who at times she felt was the only other person that worried about Scorpius as much as she did, if not more.

"Good evening Mrs. Malfoy," Rose sighed. "Mr. Malfoy."

"I take it there's been no change?" Astoria Malfoy sat on the chair opposite her, her husband standing behind her with a hand on her shoulder, almost mirroring Rose's mother's stance.

"No…" she croaked. Her voice had gone, her tears had run dry. Finding him the way she did had made sure of that…

-She'd hovered his body in the air, sent a Patronus to the Headmistress for Jonathan's stunned body. Guiding Scorpius up the stairs to the Hospital Wing had been the hardest thing she'd ever had to do. She let the tears stream down her face as she tried as hard as she could to focus her magic through her wand and to the spell. _It's no use breaking down now_, she'd save him like he saved her. She had to.

As soon as Madam Pomfrey took over she fell to the floor in a crouch and cried her eyes out, letting her voice go hoarse. He had to be transferred to 's quickly and they almost didn't let her side-along aparate with them, but no one was standing in her way now.

He looked dead when she'd found him, he was covered in dirt, blood and spew. She wanted to kill Vayne thinking about it later at 's. She didn't know why she hadn't at the time. _Maybe she would later._ Scorpius had mattered more, she reminded herself as they guided his body away for treatment.-

"Don't worry dear, Scorpius is a strong boy. He'll come back to you," Astoria winked. Her husband coughed, clearing his throat. "Draco!" She warned.

"Thank you Astoria," Hermione smiled.

Rose didn't pay attention, she just stared at Scorpius's face, wondering if the cuts there would scar him. _Would he come through this with scars like she had?_

"Come on Rose, let's go eat some lunch or something," Rose's mother called to her.

"I'm not hungry," Rose mumbled.

"Then let's go for a walk dear, the Malfoy's would probably like some time alone with Scorpius." Hermione explained and only then did Rose take the hint and wander away from her seat.

"Are you okay Mum? You haven't said anything this whole time." Rose was picking at a chicken salad sandwich negligently, she was serious when she said she wasn't hungry. Her mother nibbled at her tuna one deep in thought. "You haven't found anything have you?"

"No, it's not that I…" She began looking guilty. "I visited Jonathan in Azkaban actually. He told me exactly what he did to Scorpius. Long story short, the problem isn't magical." Her mother explained.

"But what does that mean?" Rose snapped.

"It's up to Scorpius from here. The spell… recovery differs with each patient," Hermione sighed, putting down the sandwich. "What I really want to know is how you are Rose. You seem…"

"Off?" Rose finished her sentence, feigning a laugh. "I'm fine. I just feel exhausted that's all. I feel like no matter what happens, us being together is a problem for people. People targeting either of us for who we are. I'm just so worried for him. I dunno maybe I'm just… tired." She exhaled. "I feel like the weight of the world is crashing over me. I just… I really need for him to wake up Mum. You know?"

"I know what you mean." Her mother sighed. Struggling to find the words to say next, "Rose, I think it's time you came home. I think you need to go back to school too. Your education, It's-"

"Important, I know. Just wish I knew what to do with it when I'm finished with it." Rose smirked, flopping her head onto the table, letting the noise of the cafeteria bustle around her. She may have fallen asleep she couldn't say but before long, her mother was stroking her hair, just like she used to when she was a child.

When they returned to the room, Scorpius was awake and sitting up. Rose was so shocked she froze mid way from the door. Hadn't she been daydreaming about this moment?

"Hey," he croaked smiling at her softly. Adjusting his position in his bed with obvious pain, "_My saviour!_" He teased.

"Oh Merlin!" She rushed to him, going in for a hug.

"Rose, please, I'm still a little sore." He winced and she backed away obediently. "Hey can I speak to Rose alone for a second?" He asked.

Nodding in agreement all three of their parents left, Astoria the most reluctant to leave. Then they were alone .

"Rose-"

"I'm so sorry Scorpius, this is my fault, all my fault!" She broke down, crying again, into her hands. "Jonny was a crazy prick!"

"I know Rose, I know, my parents filled me in." Scorpius tried to calm her down, failing miserably from the spot on his bed. "Rose, please listen. This is important. I need to talk to you."

Rose's gut dropped. She couldn't say exactly why except for the fact that nothing good comes from someone telling you they needed to talk to you mid conversation.

"Rose…" he braced himself, running his hands over his blanketed knees. "Rose, you and I... It always ends in blood doesn't it?"

She couldn't speak, she just stared at him in silence, her mind screaming with possibilities.

"Rose, it's not even about what's happened. I just think that we need…" Scorpius looked like he couldn't finish his own sentence. She didn't catch the tear welling in his eye, as she buried her face in her hands again. "School ends this year and from there we're going off in different directions. It'll be best if we end things now. It's going to hurt either way, best get over and done with." He couldn't watch her cry, he couldn't look at her directly and he didn't need to turn away from her for long.

She just nodded and mumbled a soft, "I see. Okay." And ran out the door.

She ran out the door, shooting daggers at the Malfoys, ignoring her mother's offers of assistance and as soon as she reached the designated area, aparated.


	27. Chapter 27

**EPILOGUE **

Most other student's had gone home yesterday, leaving just the seventh years and a selected amount of their siblings behind. Exams were finished with months ago and the results were in. People were nervous, excited and planning for their futures. Breakfast was quiet with so little of a student population, that some students had taken to sitting on the one table in the centre of the Great Hall.

The Graduation Ball would be held tonight instead of the usual dinner feast and the attending parent's would be allowed to aparate in after noon.

The school otherwise felt empty.

"Hey Rosie," Her father cheered, walking up from the Quidditch pitch, her mother in tow. "Excited?" He pulled her into a great big bear hug, and in his warmth she let him hold them there for a while. Smelling of grass.

"Hey let me at her, she's my daughter too you know!" Her mother scooped her arms in from under her husbands and gave her, her own tight squeezing hug. "Is Hugo with you?"

"He's in the library, something about quidditch theory, I don't know." Rose gestured clumsily to the bulk of the Hogwarts Castle.

"How you doing anyway?" Her father smiled.

"Yeah okay," she lied.

She lead them into the building, knowing perfectly well that they more than knew their way around. Before long she left them to go get ready with her friends, leaving her parent's to meet up with the Potters.

"'Moine, did you or did you not spend a great deal of time convincing me to let the Malfoy kid be? You said that he was good for her and that he wouldn't hurt her. What exactly would you say to that looking at the girl you just saw back there?" Ron exclaimed, a bit dramatically.

"Ronald!" Hermione warned.

"Don't you Ronald me! She looks miserable!" He stated crossing his arms haughtily.

"I know," his wife sighed. "It's not his fault though. Funny thing is I think Scorpius thinks he's protecting her. He doesn't seem to be doing any better though."

"And how would you know?" Ron asked accusingly.

She pointed over his shoulder, past his view, at the Malfoy's, taking their son into their arms. Whereas his parents were happy and rejoicing over the occassion, Scorpius himself looked as if it were any other day.

"Oh. Right." Ron said, frowning at the sight.

Rose's hair had grown a little since the start of the year. It was now long enough that in her dorm room, with the help of her ever trusty gal pals Alexandria and Daphne, she managed to pin her hair up elegantly at the back.

"Oh Merlin, I'm so nervous I could be sick!" Daphne cried, clinging to her hips and the soft blue satin that sat there. "Do I look okay? Please tell me I look okay!" Daphne cried, beginning to sound frantic.

"You look beautiful," Rose reassured her, slipping the spaghetti strap that had fallen from Daphne's shoulder back into place.

"How you managed to pass your classes is beyond me though!" Alexandria teased, reapplying lip gloss on her lips over and over again.

Daphne threw a pillow at her in response.

"Help me will ya?" Rose bent into their direction, allowing either of them to zip her up. Her soft rose pink dress zipped at the back with ease and after a moment of self collection all three girls dared to examine themselves in the mirror.

Alexandria had chosen a crimson red dress for the Ball, thick straps that led down into a heart-shaped neckline, curving in all the right places before finishing just at the knee.

Daphne went for a blue gown, flowing all the way to her ankles, the blue looking more sapphire like than anything.

Rose however picked a dress that came over the knee, seeming simple in design. It reminded her of a sundress more than a ball gown (even though the material was to die for!) and a distant memory of a boy who loved her and loved her in them.

They gathered themselves, accessories and all before looking back at their room, their packed trunks sitting aloof about the place. The ascended from the dungeon's and went off to find their respective families, promising to meet up with each other before they left for good.

"You look gorgeous Rosie!" Her parent's cooed. Hugo just smiled supportively.

"Now on to the dancing!" cried Headmistress Mcgonagall after finishing up with the last of the presentation. The band began with an uproar of noise, causing Mcgonagall to cover her ears protectively, as she shuffled back to the teachers table.

"Congratulations son you've done it!" His father clapped him on the back, _Merlin Scorpius hated that._ "And in better form than I ever could have. I'm proud of you son."

Scorpius hugged his father instantly, he couldn't tell why but it seemed important to him to do sdo. He had never particularly sought out his father's approval but felt suddenly relieved to hear his father say that he was.

"My darling boy, you've done us both proud!" His mother cried, tears actually slipping down her face.

The room had been cleared of it's usual four long table set up and instead had circular ones distributed about the room. There was a square glowing space set up for dancing in the centre of the hall as well as a platform transfigured in the corner for the band to play. _Six Blonde Pixies._

The Malfoys had seated themselves alongside the Notts and the Flints, being close family friends and as a result Scorpius could almost feel Alexandria bore a hole in his head with her stares. He making sure to keep his body turned away from her in return.

"It's not too late, to win back her heart Scorpius!" His mother whispered in his ear suddenly and instantly his eyes darted to her, as if his body would always know where Rose would be.

She wore a pink sundress, _of course she had_. There would be no mercy for him tonight.

"It's not that simple mother!" He whispered harshly back.

"My darling, love is as simple as you make it." Astoria replied.

"She's right son," His father interjected out of nowhere. "I know I've told you to steer clear of her family before, but running from this makes you just as cowardly as I have been in the past."

He watched his father let his own words sink in, the confession hitting closer home than he was sure his father had intended.

"I'm not afraid father, I'm just…"

"Scorpius!" His mother warned.

Rose was dancing with her father, feeling like a little girl all over again. Her heart ached with nostalgia as she knew that after she left here tonight she could never make excuses to play the little girl ever again. She would miss this place strangely, even though she didn't feel like she ever would before.

"May I cut in?" _Scorpius!_

"Be my guest!" Her father relinquished her to him, trying terribly to hide a knowing smile.

"May I have this dance?" Scorpius asked, visibly cringing from how corny he sounded, she was sure.

"I guess." She whispered reluctantly, "Actually, I'm a little surprised my father gave me up so easily." Rose looked back to her father, who was smoothly asking his wife to dance next.

Scorpius took her into his arms, one hand in hers and the other just above the small of her back. "Actually, last Christmas your father told me that any given time he could turn me into ashes, so I wouldn't feel that abandoned just yet." Scorpius joked, leaving a serious look on his face.

They slowly danced for a moment. Getting used to each other once more. She could smell him as perfectly as the day they had come back from holidays, the thought of everything in between then and now smacked her in the face and made her stomach roll. She wouldn't cry in front of him. She could not.

"Rose-"

"So, next year I've decided to work with my Uncle George." She interrupted awkwardly, worried about what he would say next if she didn't. "Yup! He's going to show me the ropes of business. I kinda hope to open my own Apothecary one day."

"That's fantastic Rose!" He cried, genuinely happy for her. "You'll do great I'm sure!"

"You got that position in my mother's department, I heard." She continued, enthusiasm waning. He was right in breaking up with her, they would be going in different directions next year. Of course he wouldn't want her in his life, he'd want to move on from his 'high-school girlfriend', maybe get a nice girlfriend in the Ministry, someone really smart. Smarter than her. She would just distract him, hinder his career.

"Yeah, yeah I am." Scorpius sighed, "Your mother gave me a wonderful recommendation. Merlin knows why." He laughed, the soft kind of chuckle that rolled out of his mouth.

Scorpius caught her again. In those mesmerising mercurial eyes and she felt her own well up in response. She couldn't stand that look from him. She didn't want to. It hurt her to melt for him the way she could. She felt a flush of warmth all over.

They'd stopped moving, _when did that happen?_

He closed his eyes leaning in to kiss her, letting out a little moan against her mouth in the splendor of her touch.

"Rose," he whispered against her mouth. "_Rose!_" He sounded as if he were pleading.

"Scorpius no! What about everything you said?" She pushed against his chest, as his arms wrapped around her back holding her in place. Their foreheads touching, keeping the space between them close and thick with tension. "About us only getting hurt?"

_I must not cry in front of him! _She inwardly whimpered.

"Oh Rose," he kissed her again, just as soft, almost patient-like. "You are worth it. _We_ are worth it. God I love you Rose."

They kissed once more, more passionate than they ever had before. Ignorant of the stares, ignorant of their parents smiling from the sidelines. The music went on and they stood there kissing, finally hopeful for tomorrow.

"I love you too Scorpius!" She whispered, as a single tear slipped from her eyes, landing into her smile.

**END.**

**a/n- Thank you all for the reviews and follows and such. I would like to thank ****LillyMay77** **and ****rin916** **especially. There have been times where writing this has left me disheartened, hitting wall after wall of writers block and these two beings in particular have pushed me through it each time. So thank you, hope you enjoyed it. (Hope there was enough fluff.) **


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